Different Worlds
by elena00dgmpkm
Summary: Princess Amu is engaged to the charming Prince Tadase and couldn't be happier. But what happens when she meets the mysterious and catlike Ikuto? Full Summary inside. This is amuto! Probably some kutau and rimahiko just because I said so.
1. Prologue

**Full summary: Princess Amu was always content with her life. She had great friends and a good family. They ruled over the kingdom happily and all was well. But she always felt something was missing. She is happy when she is suddenly engaged to the charming Prince Tadase but then everything changes when she meets the mysterious and catlike Ikuto. Will their fateful meeting bring more to Amu then she bargained for?**

**OK! I am freaking excited. This is amuto because I think Ikuto is a sexy beast.**

**Ikuto: Why thank you.**

**Oh, um, didn't know you were here. Anyways, I've had this idea for awhile and it's gonna be fun.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own shugo chara. If I did, I'd have my own guardian character. :3**

Different Worlds

Prologue

Amu looked at her reflection in the mirror. She wasn't sure what she was suppose to see. She figured she was suppose to see a girl on the happiest day of her life. She should be shining and elegant in her expensive dress. Tears of joy in her eyes as she thought of the people waiting for her outside. She herself had been counting down the days until today would finally come.

So why was it that the girl she looked upon now was sad. Her appearance looked fine. She had a beautiful dress on with her hair done perfectly. That was all most people would see. All they would be able to see. But anyone who knew her well would see otherwise. They'd see that the light that was normally in her eyes would be gone. The radiance she tended to emit was no longer there. The only thing that lingered were blood shot eyes and a frown that wouldn't leave her face no matter how hard she tried to smile.

She thought of the people out there that would be confused at this. Most of them wouldn't notice. But her family and her friends would. And most importantly, Tadase would. She was worried about that. He'd probably be worried and want to know what upset her. But she couldn't tell him.

She walked away from the mirror on her wall to her bed. The room seemed so cold and empty now. She opened the door to her balcony and looked up at the sky. It was bright out of course. The sun was shining although she didn't know why. She felt like it should be raining. Or at least cloudy. But no, it was freaking shining. The world was lit up and as she looked over the grounds she could see flowers of all different kinds blooming.

It was odd. Even though they were filled with workers running here and there to be prepared for the big day, the gardens were still empty to Amu. They would always be empty. From now until forever. Tears rose in her eyes again and she quickly caught them before they could fall. She couldn't think about such things. Not after what he said to her. Not now.

She suddenly heard a knock on her bedroom door. She walked back into her room and yelled, "What is it?"

"It's time." She heard Miki say. She could feel the pit in her stomach grow deeper as she realized what was before her. She took a deep breath, wiped away all remaining tears and put the fakest smile on her face one could ever see. She walked towards the door that would lead her to the end of all and any dreams that had lingered in her heart. The place that would make everything change.

Her wedding.

**I love prologues. Ok! So review. I can say it a million different ways but I'm not gonna. Just pretty please! I know it's only a prologue so it's not long or anything but still. I'd like to hear your thoughts on it so far. I'm interested in what you _think!_**


	2. Proposal?

**First chapter! Yay! Ok, also let me just say, that any reviews I get, I answer to here! So let's start with the first one!**

**Nessz - I'm in love with Ikuto. Don't worry, he'll be here soon enough. :D**

**Amu: Your in love with Ikuto? **

**Don't get jealous Amu. I mean, I am about to write this story. But first, disclaimer!**

**Amu: Elena doesn't own shugo chara. And I'm not jealous!!**

**Suuuure. On with the story!!**

Different Worlds

Chapter 1: Proposal!?

Amu Hinamori woke up in her room after yet another nightmare. She had always had nightmares ever since she was little. They were always the same thing and she didn't know why.

In them she was little, maybe three years old and she was running through a forest. Out of no where a man tries to steal her. He grabs her and takes her to an old building. When suddenly a man with blue hair comes in and saves her. He's tall, with midnight blue hair that goes in his eyes and extremely good looking. In the dream he takes her back to the forest around the castle and plays his violin for her.

That's her favorite part of the dream. The only part she likes because then the man from before finds them and stabs the violinist with a knife. And that's always right when Amu wakes up. They say you never have the same dream twice but Amu has had that dream every single night of her life that she can remember. She never told anyone about it though. And every time she hears a violin she thinks of the beautiful man who saves her every night in his dreams.

But now it was morning. The time for thinking about the dream is over. So she got up and went into her closet to pick a dress to wear. She had so many that it was hard to choose. Even though she was only picking out of her everyday wear, she still had more then half the closet to pick from. She settled on a pink dress with black seams and lace around the bottom, neckline, and at the end of the sleeves. The pink fabric matched her hair. It was spring now so it was a light dress that wasn't too warm and perfect for the weather. She slipped on plain black flats and left her room for the bathroom.

She brushed her teeth and washed her face before the royal hair dresser came in. She curled her pink hair leaving the bangs down and straight.

And then Amu was finally ready. That was how every morning began. She went down stairs to the dinning room where the King, the Queen and Princess Ami were eating breakfast.

"Good morning." She said with a smile to them all. They all greeted her before they began to eat. Amu just took some fruit off the table for she wasn't really hungry.

"I'm going to go find Rima and Yaya if that's ok." She told them.

Her mother nodded. "That's fine. I believe they're in the ballroom. You know you have lessons today so Nagihiko is there too. And don't forget to come back home by one o'clock."

"Why so early?" Amu asked.

"Amu, you did not forget did you??"

"Uhh, no, I remember!" She said, trying to rack her brain of what it could be.

Her mother just sighed. "Prince Tadase is coming. His parents have come to discuss some matters. You have not seen him in a quite awhile, am I right?"

"Tadase-kun…?" She said slowly. She was sixteen now, and the last time she had seen him was four years ago. She began to blush thinking about him. She had practically been in love with him. But he had turned her down flat. Even so, they were still great friends and wrote to each other a lot. Now she couldn't wait.

Her dad curled up in a ball in his seat. "Noo! Amu-chan!! Don't blush!! He's a boy! Your too young!!"

Amu just sighed. "Dad, I'm sixteen. You and mom got married at sixteen. How long are you going to tell me I'm too young?" She asked.

Her father just curled up more. "My little Amu-chan!" He cried.

Her mother looked at him for a moment and then back at Amu. "Just remember to be back by one." Amu nodded and walked off to the ballroom.

"Amu-chan!" She hear four small voices yell in the hall. She turned around to see her shugo chara coming towards her.

"There you guys are. I was wondering why you weren't in my room this morning." She told them.

"We heard Tadase was coming!" Ran shouted.

"So we decided to clean up a bit!" Su smiled sweetly.

"And I wanted to pick out what you were going to wear tonight." Miki told her.

"Tonight? Why, what's tonight."

"Oh! You don't know? There's going to be a ball tonight." Dia told her.

"There is? Why does no one tell me these things." She said with a frown.

"It's to celebrate some deal that your parents and Tadase's parents are making." Ran explained.

"Oh, well, I guess I should get to the ballroom. If there's going to be a ball I need this dancing lesson." She said with a smile.

They walked into the large ballroom and Amu could see the servants all cleaning and decorating for the ball that was apparently going to be tonight.

She saw Rima, Yaya, and Nagihiko standing on the other side of the room but as soon as Yaya saw her she began screaming. "Amu-chi!!! I'm so glad you're here! Rima and Nagi are being all lovey again!" Amu could see Rima's death glare from where she was.

Rima and Yaya were both daughters of Dukes and would one day be Duchesses themselves. And Nagihiko was from a long line of royal dancers that either entertained the royal family or taught them. She was good friends with them all since their families were always there and they all grew up together. (A/N: Sorry to anyone who likes Nadeshiko because she doesn't exist in this. I like her but it just didn't fit in. Sorry.)

Amu made it too them and laughed with Yaya. Nagihiko was laughing but Rima was blushing and giving death glares to all three of them. "We were not."

"I was just showing her a dance." Nagihiko said trying to avoid Rima's glare.

"Hey Pepe, Rhythm, Kusukusu!" Ran yelled to them.

"Let's go play!" Kusukusu yelled and they ran off to race around the large ballroom.

Amu watched them go with a smile before turning back to Nagihiko. "Let's get this lesson over with so we can all hang out. I have to be back here by one so-"

"Why do you have to be back by one!" Yaya yelled. "Oh, right, Tadase is coming!" She got an evil smile on her face.

"Amu-chi's gonna get to be lovey dovey like Rima-chan and Nagi!" She yelled.

Amu and Rima both blushed. "N-No! I could care less if Tadase was here or not. He's just a good friend I haven't seen in awhile, that's all!"

Nagihiko laughed. "Sure, Amu-chan. Anyway, let's get this lesson over with. Come on." They danced for an hour as she perfected some little things that had to be fixed in her steps and her timing and then she was ready for the ball tonight.

"That's seems like enough. Next week we'll learn a new dance." He told her. Amu nodded not really looking forward to a new dance after finally learning how to waltz.

Then she looked at the time. It was ten. She still had three hours.

"We should go shopping!" Yaya stated excitedly. Amu smiled. She loved shopping.

"Sure!" She knew a shop that wasn't far where they could walk.

They shopped and hung out for awhile. As usual, Amu was stopped quite a few times by her people as they spoke about the things her parents did for them. She didn't really like going out in public because of this though. She liked the people and wanted to be a good Queen some day but for now she wanted to be a kid.

She wasn't really well known though so it wasn't really a problem. Only those who had had business with the King and Queen knew what the princess looked like.

So after awhile she looked at the time and knew she should head home.

"I'll see you guys tonight, right?" She asked.

"Of course." They told her as she ran off with her shugo chara to get home.

"I can't wait." Miki said as they reached the castle.

"Can't wait for what?" Ran asked.

"To see Kiseki." She said with hearts in her eyes.

Ran, Su, and Dia just shrugged and pulled Miki up to Amu's room. When Amu made it to the throne room her mother looked at her and smiled.

"Your on time. Hurry up and stand over here." She said, grabbing her daughters arm and pulling her next to her. They were standing in front of the thrones, clearly waiting for someone to come through the door. Her father was on one side of her and her mother the other. She wondered why she was in the middle. Normally during these exchanges, she just waited on the side for Tadase to come in and then they'd leave to go play or something.

_Maybe it's because I'm older now?_ She asked herself, although that didn't seem likely.

Either way, it didn't matter because the door was opening and the visitors were being announced.

"The Royal Hotori Family has arrived."

Amu watched as Tadase and his parents walked through the large doors and down the long room. As they walked she noticed that Tadase was in the middle of his parents the same way she was with hers.

They reached the end of the carpet and bowed their heads. Amu and her family bowed back and then the formalities were over. Amu's father and mother walked closer to the Hotori's and began to shake hands with them. Amu was pushed with them and was standing in front of the now much older Tadase.

_He looks even cuter then he used to!_ She beamed as he smiled at her. "It's been a long time, Hinamori-san."

She smiled. "It has. It's nice to see you, Tadase-kun." Amu suddenly noticed that their parents had grown quiet and were watching them.

Amu looked around at them. They were making her nervous. She looked at Tadase and he just looked a bit annoyed with them.

"Um, do you want to take a walk with me outside?" He asked.

"Sure. We'll be back later." Amu told her parents and walked away with Tadase. They walked outside and towards the woods. Amu never really liked the woods since they reminded her of her dream but she would still go in them.

"That was annoying." He said with a frown.

"What was with them? I mean, it was almost like they were waiting for something." She said thoughtfully.

Tadase looked at her funny for a moment. "You don't know?" He asked.

"Don't know what?"

He just smiled and shook his head. "It's nothing really." He said but Amu was curious now.

"Ok, I'll let it go…for now." She smiled.

Tadase just looked at her for a moment.

"W-What?" She asked, worried there was something on her face.

He looked away and smiled. "Nothing."

She frowned. "Why is everything no-" She was cut off when Tadase suddenly grabbed her hand. She began to blush and he just smiled.

"Come on, let's go this way." He said, leading her away. They walked for awhile and Amu wasn't really sure what to say.

"So, uh, where's Kiseki?" She asked. She knew her shugo chara were in her room where she had told them to wait. She hadn't known she would be going for a walk.

"Kiseki has a good memory so I told him to go up to your room. I figured that's where the others would be."

Amu laughed. "You know me too well."

"Well, not well enough. But I have to ask sooner or later." He stopped walking and she looked over at him.

"What do you have to ask?"

He was still holding onto her hand as he looked at her for a moment. "Four years ago, you told me you liked me, and I turned you down."

"Oh, yeah." She said through the fake smile she was trying to keep on her face. _Thanks for reminding me._ she thought to herself. She remembered that day. Ran made her character change and that's never a good thing.

"But I realized that I made a big mistake." He said, looking down. Amu eye's widened and she could feel a light blush on her cheeks.

"I know I hurt you by turning down, but I know now, after talking to you for all these years, that I love you." He told her.

Amu face was completely red now and her eyes were really wide. She was so shocked and surprised. He had been here for less then fifteen minutes and he was already telling her he loved her. What was next?

"So, Amu-chan," He began as he let go of her hand and she watched him kneel to the ground and pull a box out of his pocket.

"Will you marry me?"

**Cliff hanger!!! Even though it's safe to say we all know what she's gonna say. **

**Ikuto: Why aren't I in this chapter. It's the first chapter, and I'm not in it?**

**Sorry Ikuto, we had to set up a bunch of stuff. I didn't have time for you. But don't worry, I have lots of plans on where your going my friend.**

**Tadase: I'm happy with this chapter.**

**Of course you are. Sorry to any Amuto fans who really hate this. Honestly though, if I'm writing this in character, which I am, Amu likes Tadase. Don't worry about this not being Amuto or something because I have so many Amuto moments planned, it's not even funny. You will love them.**

**Ikuto: But there can't be moments if I'm not even in it. .**

**Patience! You will be in it! Trust me. So anyway, review!!!!!! I can't say it enough. Reviews motivate me to write! They really do. So please, please, please review! I'll love you forever if you do! :D**


	3. Ally Cat

**Alrighty. Hasn't been too long since last chapter, which is pretty good I must say. Anyways, on to my reviews! :D**

**Nessz - Here he is! He'll be in this chapter! Don't you worry about it! :D**

**GakuenAliceGRL - dun dun dun!!!!!!!**

**AnimelovingCat - Yes, Ikuto is a bit impatient. And no problem. It's fun for me. :3**

**IC-ZPHUOCC - I'M GOING! XD**

**Ikuto: I'm in the chapter? Finally. **

**Oh be quiet. Disclaimer time! Take it away Nagi!**

**Nagihiko: Umm, she doesn't own shugo chara.**

**Jeez. Hide your excitement a little Nagi. Anyway, on with the story! :D**

Different Worlds

Chapter 2: Ally Cat

Amu was sitting in her room, frozen to the spot. Her shugo chara were with her very confused. She had come to her room after Tadase had told her he was going to speak with their parents to tell them the news. Kiseki had run off to go see Tadase once Amu had come in the room.

"So what happened?" Ran asked.

"You don't know?" Amu asked her doubtfully.

They all just smiled looking innocent and she frowned. "Have you all known for long?" She asked angrily.

"No, no! Kiseki just told us now. I'm guessing you said yes?" Dia asked.

"Yeah, well I think I nodded through the shock somehow and mumbled a yes." She couldn't really remember what happened five minutes ago. She held out her left hand and the shugo chara all looked at the ring on her finger.

"Wow. That's a big ring." Miki said with sparkles in her eyes. "This will go great with any dress!"

"Apparently, my parents knew all about this. This was the deal they were making." Amu said, still shocked. She didn't really understand though. Shouldn't she be jumping up and down at this point? Why was she still in a state of shock? She should've been running around the room and jumping on her bed.

"Is something wrong with me?" She asked herself and her shugo chara looked on with frowns.

"Nothing's wrong with you! You're just a little surprised. Why don't we get some exercise! Get up and run! Do push ups! Play some sports!" Ran shouted and began to cheer. "Go! Go! Amu-chan!"

Amu looked at Ran and just smiled. Then she stood up quickly. "Your right! Let's do something! Can't sit around in my room. The ball isn't for another six hours." She ran into her closet and looked around a lot.

"What are you looking for?" Su asked quietly.

"A dress that doesn't show I'm a princess." She said as she threw things on the ground.

"Amu, your making a mess of your closet!" Su yelled and fell to the floor. Su always kept Amu's closet clean.

"Allow me to help." Miki said. After looking through everything they realized it was no use. There was nothing that wasn't fancy and rich looking.

"I know!" Miki said and took out her sketch pad. She began to draw quickly and when she was done she made the paper big and showed it to Amu. It was a picture of a dress that was blue, knee high, and average. It was something a normal working girl might wear.

"That's perfect!" Amu shouted.

"Drew, draw, drawn!"

And suddenly Amu was wearing the dress that was in Miki's picture. She smiled and looked at herself. "Thanks Miki!"

She looked at herself in the mirror and realized that her hair didn't go with the "working class" look. She found a blue scarf and put it over her hair. Now she wouldn't be recognizable at all.

"Ok guys. I need you to stay here. If someone comes to look for me and no one's here to explain they'll think the worst and things will get a little crazy. So just stay here."

"What do we say?" Miki asked and Amu frowned. "I don't know. Think of something." And with that she went out on her balcony and climbed down the siding. She wasn't high up. Only on the second floor so it didn't take long.

There was no one in the gardens because everyone was working in the ballroom or the castle to get ready.

She looked at her watch and realized it had taken her longer then she had realized to get ready. It was now 4:30 and the ball started at 8:00. That gave her a few hours at least. She knew she'd have to start getting ready at 8:00 because the royal family never entered until after all the guests had arrived. She'd make it back in time.

She ran out of the garden and through the gates without being seen. She knew all the right ways to get out since she'd always leave when she was younger. She liked walking among the people without being known. Just another face in a crowd.

She walked around for a bit and it was starting to get dark by 5:30. It was early in spring so it still got dark kind of early.

She decided it'd be best to probably get back to the castle. There was nothing here that made her mind any clearer. It hadn't relaxed her quite the way she had hoped it would.

As she was walking back she suddenly heard something. She was walking down the main street and she heard a noise. A grunt maybe? Someone in pain?

She looked around but didn't see anyone on the street that looked hurt. She looked right and left and finally she saw it.

In the ally next to her she saw a boy slumped against the wall. Her eyes widened and without thinking she ran in to see if he was alright.

"Are you hurt?" She asked. He lifted his head and looked at her and the moment he did her breath caught in her throat. It was him! It was the man in her dreams.

"Go away." He said coldly.

His cold voice made her recoil. She looked at him again and realized it wasn't the same man. This boy was much younger and although he looked just like the man in her dreams, it wasn't him. It was odd though. He had the same midnight blue hair and eyes to match. He was very good looking but the frown on his face caused her to frown as well.

"No. Your clearly hurt." She looked to him and saw that his lip was bleeding. She took out her handkerchief and wiped the blood off his face.

He looked up at her and his expression softened. "How can you be so kind to a stranger?"

"It's my job to be kind to my-" She stopped short. She couldn't let him know she was the princess. Right now, they weren't her people. They were just people. She began again. "I mean, I feel like everyone should be kind to others, otherwise when your down and out who's gonna be kind to you?"

He looked at her and nodded slowly. "In that case. You shouldn't be kind to me."

She half ignored what he said and continued to look at him. "Anything else hurt? What happened?" She asked him.

"I got jumped by a few punks. I was able to get them away but not before they got in a few good hits." He told her although he wasn't looking at her face directly.

She nodded and frowned. She hadn't known crime had been so bad. "Can you…stand?" She asked.

He leaned against the wall and stood up. "Yeah I can stand, I-"

"Ikuto!!!" He was interrupted by a small voice screaming his name. They both looked at the mouth of the ally and Amu was surprised to see a small shugo chara come flying in.

Ikuto. So that was his name.

"Ikuto! I found you something to eat!" He flew over holding an apple. Amu looked at him and he looked back at her confused.

"Can you see him?" Ikuto asked her. She looked back at him and nodded. "I have my own shugo chara too." She told him.

"Really? Where are they? I'm Yoru by the way. And I guess you already met Ikuto." Said the little cat-like shugo chara.

Ikuto took the apple from Yoru and broke it in half. He held out one half to Amu. "Here."

She looked at it a moment and shook her head. "No it's ok. You eat it."

"No, it's thanks for helping me." He said and she took it slowly. She watched as he broke off a piece of his and gave it to Yoru who smiled and began to eat it.

She took a bite out of hers and smiled. "Thank you." She felt a bit bad taking his food though. She had plenty of food back at the castle and she wasn't really sure if he had quite so much back at his home.

"Where do you live. You should get home. It's dark out already." She said looking around.

"Why do you want to know where I live? Are you one of those creepy stalkers who follows people home?" He asked as he continued to eat his apple.

She looked at him in disbelief. "What!? Of course not!!! I was gonna make sure you got home save since your hurt but forget it now!" She yelled. She turned away from him and crossed her arms. She could hear him laughing behind her.

"Where do you live? I think I should make sure _you_ get home safe. You're just a girl afterall. I think I'd be safer on my own then you would." He told her.

She froze. She couldn't tell him she was a princess. That was when she thought of an idea. "Oh, well, I work at the castle, well my parents do and there's a ball tonight so I should probably meet them there." She said after a moment.

"Ok." He said and began to walk out of the ally. She followed him as they walked down main street and back to the castle.

They walked silently, although it wasn't awkward or anything. It was a peaceful silence. She snuck glances at Ikuto every once and awhile trying to figure out why he looked so much like the man in her dreams.

They made it back to the castle quickly. He had taken some different routes to get there and when they were at the gates she turned towards him.

"Is your home far from here?" She asked and he shook his head.

"My home is close." He said although again he wasn't looking at her directly.

"I guess this is goodbye." He said and she nodded. He turned to leave but then stopped and turned back.

"Wait, what's your name?" He asked her.

"Amu." She said without thinking.

He looked at her, a bit puzzled. "Isn't that the name of the princess?" He asked her and she looked at him and frowned.

"Well, you see, my parents named me after the princess who had just been born around the same time. They did it in the royal family's honor." She said quickly.

He nodded, believing her lie and then waved a hand in her direction. "See you around then, Amu." And with that he walked away. She went through the gate and to the back gardens. She had to get back in her room. When she could see her balcony she saw Ran sitting and waiting.

"Ran?" She called and Ran looked down at her before flying to where she was. "Come on, Amu-chan! Your late. Hop, step, jump!" And with that Amu was jumping onto her balcony and ran into her room.

"Drew, draw, drawn!" Miki shouted quickly and before Amu knew it she was dressed in an eloquent gown. It was midnight blue with long sleeves and a poofy bottom. The design on the front was in diamonds that Dia was eyeing happily. It seemed they had all had a hand in creating this with Miki. It had all their tastes.

"Leave it you Miki to make it blue in the end." She laughed and Miki smiled. She went into the bathroom where the royal hair dresser looked at her hair with a frown. She saw that the curls from before had been a little squashed under the scarf.

She gave Amu curly twin tails, left her bangs down and left two straight pieces in the front. (A/N: You know how her hair is when she goes to Lulu's Christmas party in the anime? Just like that.)

She looked at herself and smiled. She was ready. She looked at her clock and saw it was 8:45. She was a little late but not too bad. Now she just had to find her parents and join the party.

**That was a fun chapter. IKUTO! :D *swoons***

**Tadase: I didn't like this chapter.**

**Shut up Tadase! Now review my readers! There must be more Ikuto so I want to write the next chapter! Off you go! Press that button right down there and write up a wonderful review that might just make me cry tears of joy! Ok, well just a smile would be nice. XD**


	4. True Identity

**Why hello again! I'm back with another chapter! Yay!**

**AnimeGirl4Ever - Thanks! *shrugs* I don't know. :3**

**Amuto20174 - Here's another chapter and don't worry, more Ikuto. ;D**** - Thank you! I agree with you about that. I hate when people try to just add it from the start or put in pointless fluff.**

**GakuenAliceGRL - I guess you'll just have to read to find out. :o XD**

**liLpAndaBear - I'm glad you like it. :3**

**Ok! Next chapter! Woo! I'm pumped! Disclaimer time!!!**

**Utau: She doesn't own shugo chara. Now when am I gonna come into the story???**

**Uhhh, later... Don't be like your brother. He's a bad influence.**

Different Worlds

Chapter 3: True Identity

Amu walked down the hall looking for her parents. The castle was big enough that this could be made into a larger task then necessary. She sighed and leaned her back against the wall.

"I'm tired of looking for them." She complained. Her shugo chara giggled.

"But Amu-chan, you've only been looking for a few minutes." Dia told her and she sighed.

"Yeah, I know." She didn't move from the wall though. Her thoughts were concentrated on the boy she had met today. His name was Ikuto and he looked like the man in her dreams. But what did it all mean? She wasn't quite sure.

"Amu-chan!" She heard someone yell and turned quickly to find Tadase coming down the hallway towards her. She stiffened a bit at the sight of him. She was still a bit embarrassed at his confession and proposal. Plus she had just been thinking about another guy.

"Tadase-kun! Have you seen my parents?" She asked him and he laughed lightly.

"Amu-chan, they've been waiting for you."

"Have they? Where are they then?" She asked and he grabbed her hand and pulled her away. She blushed slightly at how they were holding hands again and was pulled in the direction of the ballroom. He liked to surprise her a lot, that was for sure.

She frowned though. Something stupid was bothering her. It seemed silly but it still got to her. For one thing, he didn't look at her appearance. She had taken quite some time to get ready and she would've at least expected a "You look nice." or something. It seemed petty but she figured that was something a fiancé was maybe suppose to do.

The other thing that bothered her was how she had been gone all afternoon and he hadn't even asked about it. Did he know she was gone? And if so, did he care she was gone? Or maybe want to know where she went?

She shook the thoughts away quickly though. She really didn't know anything about dating so maybe that wasn't something you did. Maybe asking where someone was would be considered overbearing or controlling? Either way she really didn't know much about it so she was probably over thinking something stupid.

They got to the ballroom and Amu's mom ran over to her as soon as she saw her. "Amu-chan! Where have you been all afternoon? Well this is for another time because we have to enter now. They're waiting for us!" Amu frowned. Her mom had worried.

"Amu-chan! You look so pretty and grown up!" Amu's dad said/cried as he saw her. She frowned even more. _He_ noticed how she looked.

They entered in the following order. First the visitors entered, Tadase's mom and dad, and then Amu's parents and Ami went in. Amu and Tadase were last and she figured since this was to celebrate the engagement that it was to be expected that the young prince and princess enter together.

As they walked down the steps arm and arm Amu couldn't be happier. She had always dreamed of walking down the ballroom steps with a handsome prince. And now here she was!

As they reached the landing her parents began to talk joyously about how they hoped everyone would enjoy the party and how happy they were about our families uniting and blah blah blah. Amu wasn't interesting in her parents' speech so she tuned it out until they could join the party too.

She found her friends quickly. Rima, Nagihiko, and Yaya were there. Some other friends were there too that she recognized but hadn't seen in a long time.

"Kukai! Kairi!" She yelled in disbelieve. She hadn't seen them in a long time. They used to come a lot with Tadase when they were younger. They were the son's of noblemen in Tadase's province and very good friends with him. She ran over to them excitedly. Rima, Nagihiko, and Yaya were already with them and waved when they saw the two of them coming.

"Amu!" Kukai yelled trapping her in a huge bear hug and then laughing as she gasped for air. He let her go and she was thankfully able to breath again.

"Oh, wait. I probably shouldn't hug you, now that you're a taken women and all." He teased and laughed as Tadase and Amu blushed.

"Hello Amu. It's been too long." Kairi said bowing and Amu laughed at how polite he could be at times.

"You don't have to be so formal Kairi. I get that stuff enough from everyone else." She told him reassuringly and he straightened up and smiled.

They all danced and had fun but Amu was distracted the whole time. All the shugo chara had quickly run off to play somewhere, especially now that they had some old friends to catch up with. Amu found herself alone for a moment and decided she needed to go outside and get away for a moment. Before she could get to the door though Rima stopped her.

"Where are you going?" She asked her accusingly.

"Just getting some air! Jeez Rima, you act like I'm committing a crime." She said and Rima looked at her a moment. Her and Rima were best friends and Rima could always tell when Amu was feeling down or something.

"I won't stop you cause I can tell you need some time alone." She said and moved aside. Amu smiled and mouthed a "thank you" before escaping through the doors.

She realized how suffocated she had been only after she finally made it outside and breathed in the night air.

The cool breeze tickled her face and felt good compared to the stuffy ballroom air.

She looked around the gardens and was happy to see that no one was there. She decided she needed to take a walk so she began to walk through the gardens with no destination in general. She ended up making it to a small fountain and sat down on the bench in front of it.

She sighed deeply and looked up at the sky. It was a full moon with barely any clouds to cover it. The bright moonlight lit up the gardens which usually remained dark. She was glad she didn't need a lantern to see.

She sat back and closed her eyes. She couldn't stop thinking about this Ikuto she had met. She didn't know what it was either. He had actually been quite rude to her at first. The way that he warmed up though and was nice to a random stranger made her interested in him. Plus the mystery that surrounded him and that fact that he looked so much like that man in her dream made her wonder if he could perhaps be the key to figuring out what the dream means.

She sighed again. It was all so confusing. She shouldn't be worrying about this random guy. She had Tadase now. She should be happy. Right?

"Amu?"

Amu jumped out of her seat at the voice and opened her eyes quickly. She was extremely surprised to see Ikuto standing before her in the moonlight.

"Sorry, did I scare you?" He asked with a chuckle before stopping and looking at her for a moment.

"Why are you dressed like that? I mean, you look great and all but who's clothes are those?" He asked her.

Amu's stomach flipped. Had he just complimented her? She frowned. She was suddenly beginning to think it wasn't that crazy of her to think Tadase should have.

She realized he had asked her a question and tried to think of something to say. A worker would never wear that.

"Uh, well, y-you see-"

He smiled at her teasingly. "You stole them didn't you? Well, 'borrowed' them or whatever." He laughed at her blushing face. Stole? She'd never steal anything in her life!

"Let me guess, you just wanted to 'try them on' and then you ran out here so no one would see you?" He asked and began to laugh again.

She blushed bright red at the accusation but then relaxed, realizing he had given her something she could use. "Uh, yeah. You kinda caught me though. Just promise not to tell." She said with a smile. He seemed to believe her and then she smirked up at him.

"So why exactly are you out in the gardens around the castle?" She asked, knowing she'd caught him as well.

His smile faded and he frowned. She just continued to smile, waiting for his answer.

"Uh, well you see…" He stammered.

She wasn't going give him an answer the way he had given her one so she just crossed her arms and waited.

"Well, I was, uh, worried about you!" He practically yelled. She was taken back.

"Why?" She asked, surprised.

"Well, I wasn't sure if you were going to be able to, uh, get in."

Amu frowned. "That was hours ago." He stiffened a bit. They both knew he was lying.

"Hmm, in that case for all I know you could be up to something criminal and well, criminals are to be reported and all so I should probably go and do that." She said with a shrug before turning around and taking a step towards the castle. She was waiting for-

"No! Wait!"

She turned around and smiled. He was right on cue. "Ok, so why are you really here?" She asked and suddenly, he was the one smiling.

He walked closer to her and suddenly his face was only inches away from hers. She was now blushing and watching him with wide eyes.

"I needed to see you again." He said seductively and her face exploded with more blushes.

He straightened up and began to laugh at her appearance and obviously flushed face. "Your too gullible." He said through his laughter.

"Eh?" She was suddenly steaming. He had been teasing her?! "You idiot! I didn't believe you for one second!!" She yelled and crossed her arms, scowling.

He just laughed and sat down on the bench she had been sitting on.

She was still a bit angry but she sat down next to him and leaned back to look at the moon.

"So, where's Yoru?" She asked to make conversation.

"He's off wandering. He doesn't like to be tied down." He chuckled. "What about your shugo chara? I'm starting to doubt you even have one." He teased lightly.

She smiled. "They're off playing or something." She said. He lifted his eye brow.

"They?"

"Yes. Them."

"So your one of those people that has two, huh?" He said normally.

"Actually, I have-

"Amu-chan?" She heard someone yell. Amu stood up and looked around.

Suddenly she saw Tadase coming towards her on the garden path.

"Amu-chan! There you are! Where did you-" Suddenly he stopped running and looked behind Amu with wide eyes at the now standing, Ikuto.

"Ikuto Tsukiyomi!" He yelled as he ran over and grabbed Amu's arm. He pulled her behind him and put himself between them.

"I won't allow you to hurt the princess!" He yelled.

Amu's eyes widened just as Ikuto's did. "Princess? _You're _the princess?" He asked. She frowned and slowly nodded.

"Of course she is! Don't act like you don't know! You've come here to hurt her, haven't you?"

Amu could see the anger appear on Ikuto's face at the accusation. He smoothed his features quickly but she could still see the anger in his eyes.

"I didn't come here to hurt her. I didn't know she was the princess." He looked at Amu, through narrowed eyes. "I'm so sorry to have bothered you. _Your Highness_." He said as he bowed just for show and began to walk away. He turned the first corner and was suddenly gone.

She stared after him with a sad expression. Then she turned to Tadase angrily. "What was that about? He wasn't going to hurt me." She said with a frown. She didn't know much about Ikuto but she knew that much. Didn't she?

He looked over at her sympathetically. "I'm glad you're okay, but believe me when I tell you not to trust him. He will hurt you as soon as he gains your trust." He said narrowing his eyes.

"Why? How do you know him, Tadase-kun?" She asked slowly. She wondered why he would think Ikuto would do such a thing.

"Ikuto is one of Kazuomi Hoshina's puppets. He used to live in my province but he was banished. Now that he's here though, he must be targeting your family." Tadase said thoughtfully.

Amu was still very confused though. "Wait, what? Who is Kazuomi Hoshina and why were they banished?" She asked.

He smiled at her with a look that said, 'aww, it's cute that you don't know anything'. She frowned at this but then he began to answer her question. "Kazuomi was a Duke with bad intentions. He wanted to overthrow my grandparents and rule. He failed and was banished, then a few years ago we found that Ikuto was working for him and he was banished as well. My parents feared that he was trying to carry out Kazuomi's bidding." He informed her. She looked at him with wide eyes and nodded.

For some reason, she was having a hard time believing those things. Or maybe she just didn't want to…

**Gasp! Drama! Review! :D**


	5. I'm Sorry

**Yippee! Next chapter! :D**

**xXMsBlackCatXx - Thanks! And it's all good. I know the feeling. Hope to see an awesomely long review soon then. XD**

**GakuenAliceGRL - D: Poor Ikuto!**

**Disclaimer!!!**

**Tadase: Elena doesn't own shugo chara.**

**Good boy. There was no back talk this time. :D**

Different Worlds

Chapter 4: I'm Sorry

Amu looked out the window at the moon in silence. Her shugo chara were all waiting for her to tell them what was on her mind. It was very late and she should've been sleeping but she just couldn't.

"Amu-chan…" Su finally said slowly. The others looked at her surprised. None of them had planned to ask her what was on her mind.

Amu turned around and looked at Su before smiling faintly. "I'm sorry guys. I shouldn't be ignoring you." She said and they all breathed out a sigh, glad she would talk to them about it.

"What's the matter?" Miki asked slowly.

Amu shook her head. "I-I feel horrible. I feel horrible for lying to Ikuto but according to Tadase he's no good. And I know I should trust Tadase more then Ikuto but for some reason I just can't see Ikuto hurting me." She said slowly.

"Amu-chan, you only met him tonight. Maybe the reason you can't see it is because of your dream." Ran guessed.

Amu nodded. "Maybe. I-I still feel like I need to see him." She said slowly.

"Amu-chan! Are you sure that's a good idea?" Dia asked.

"Why not? I have you guys if anything. Come on." She went to her balcony and was about to climb down when she heard: "Hop, Step, Jump!!" And suddenly she was flying over the balcony.

She reached the ground and smiled at Ran.

They ran out the gates and she suddenly realized she had no idea were she was suppose to find him.

"Maybe we could find his shugo chara!" Miki suggested.

"Do you think you could sense him?" Amu asked.

Miki shrugged. "We could try."

They walked around for awhile in different places without finding anything.

As they were walking though Amu suddenly heard the sound of a violin. She stopped walking and listened to the notes. She was astonished. It was the most amazing sound. It was just like the violin in her dream and she had to go towards it.

Her shugo chara heard it too and knew they weren't going to be able to pull her away from the sound.

As she got closer and she walked into a park she realized the difference. These notes were sad. You wouldn't be able to tell unless you listened carefully.

She closed her eyes and followed the music. But with one step it stopped abruptly. She looked in front of her and was suddenly staring into a set of midnight blue eyes.

He was standing there, holding a violin in a playing position, with his eyes wide.

"Ikuto?" She said slowly as he brought the violin down and held it at his side.

"Was that you playing?" She asked although she already knew the answer.

He didn't say anything but instead just turned around and kneeled by a violin case. He began to put the violin away and she ran over to him.

"Well it was beautiful." She said wistfully. She wished she could hear more.

He got up and began to walk away but she continued to talk. "But, the notes were so sad…" She said with a frown. He stopped walking and she took this advantage and ran in front on him.

"Look Ikuto, I'm sorry." She said with an anguished expression.

He frowned at her for a moment and then just sighed.

"I only lied because I wanted you to know me as me and not as 'the princess'." She said looking down.

He still looked upset but nodded. "I forgive you." He said slowly. "But I'm surprised you're here. Didn't he tell you?" He asked.

Amu looked down and sighed. "Well, he told me but I-I'm having a hard time believing it." She admitted.

"Well believe it." He said looking away from her. "What he said was true. And we're enemies now."

She frowned as she watched him. He didn't look as threatening as the words were suppose to make him look.

"No. We don't have to be. I don't care about the other things. We can still be friends. Can't we?" She asked.

He looked over at her for a moment. "Your such a child."

"I am not!" She yelled.

He frowned and he looked like he was debating something in his head. "Alright then. We're…friends." He said slowly. He didn't look particularly happy about it though. She wondered if he didn't want to be her friend. That seemed odd.

"Why does this make you unhappy?" She asked.

He looked at her and chuckled. "Calm down. It has nothing to do with you. I'm ecstatic about being your friend." He said sarcastically.

She frowned and felt a tap on her shoulder. She looked over at her shugo chara and Ikuto seemed to have noticed them as well. "Amu-chan, it's almost three in the morning." Su told her. Amu looked at her surprised.

"Really?" She turned back to Ikuto and saw that he was watching her four shugo chara with curious eyes.

"Well I should get home. It was nice seeing you again." She told him in a formal matter.

He smiled lightly. "Likewise."

And with that she went home. He stood in the same place as she left but right before she left the park she looked back and he was gone.

She went home and finally slept. She had the same dream again like every other night but this time she could swear the song the man was playing was the song Ikuto had been playing instead of his usual one.

For the next few weeks Amu didn't see Ikuto once. She wondered where he had gone and was sad that she couldn't see him. She saw Tadase all the time and they didn't talk about Ikuto at all. She should've been happy. Everyday she helped plan her wedding, hung out with her friends, and went on dates with Tadase.

But for some reason she wasn't satisfied. It was everything she could've wanted and she wasn't happy. Her friends noticed her staring off a lot and she didn't get much sleep each night. The dream kept changing into different things. The man was changing into Ikuto. Each night he looked more and more like him. And the Amu in the dream was older too. She was slowly getting older and older.

The evil man never changed though. And whenever she saw Ikuto killed she'd scream herself awake. A few times a few servants would come into the room to make sure everything was ok.

Everyone was starting to worry about her. Heck, even she was starting to worry about herself. And what scared her the most was how much she missed Ikuto. She didn't even know him well and yet she longed to see him. She sat in bed just looking at the wall. It was late but she was afraid to go to sleep. She didn't want to dream. That was when she suddenly heard a knock on her balcony door.

She must've jumped twenty feet off her bed and was looking at the figure on her balcony in fear.

"Please, help!" she heard a small voice say and she ran over to the door. She opened it and saw that it was Ikuto and Yoru. But Ikuto was knocked out and Yoru was trying to hold it up. It wasn't working out well.

"Oh my gosh." She grabbed Ikuto's arm and dragged him over to her bed.

"Yoru what happened?" She asked.

Yoru frowned and turned away from her. "I can't tell you…" He said slowly.

"Why not?! I have a right to know!" She yelled.

Yoru frowned. "He'd kill me if I told you!"

Amu's shugo chara woke up from the noise and came out of their eggs to see what was going on. When they saw Ikuto they were surprised and came over to where Amu and Yoru were.

"I don't care what he'd do to you!" She said angrily.

Yoru laughed. "Of course not. But I'm still not gonna tell you."

Ran frowned. "He's mean."

"I think he's cool." Miki said with hearts in her eyes.

Everyone heard her and looked over at her. Yoru winked in her direction and simply said, "It's hard to resist my charms."

Amu grabbed Yoru and began to shake him. "I don't care about your charms! What happened to Ikuto?!" She yelled.

Yoru went back to frowning. "Let's just say the same thing as last time, when you first met."

Amu narrowed her eyes at him. She was starting to think that Ikuto hadn't really been jumped that first time. She figured she could ask him tomorrow though. There were more important questions to be asked.

"So what do you want me to do with him?" She asked Yoru.

"Well he has no where to go…" He trailed off and Amu sighed. She looked over at Ikuto's sleeping form and knew she couldn't just kick him out.

"Fine, you two can stay the night. But as soon as he's up, he's out. What if someone were to find him here?" She asked.

Yoru nodded understandingly and slipped onto the bed next to Ikuto. He fell asleep swiftly and Amu just sighed. She took a pillow and the blankets off of the bed and pulled them onto the floor. Before laying down though she took the other pillow and gently lifted Ikuto's head to place the pillow under it.

She locked the door swiftly figuring that way she'd be alarmed if anyone tried to come in. She laid down but couldn't go to sleep. She was a nervous wreck. She was so afraid of what would happen if he were discovered. For one thing, he was the enemy according to Tadase and having him there wouldn't look good for him. For another thing she was engaged! If someone were to find a man sleeping in her bed surely things would be spread about her. And she didn't want to hurt Tadase in anyway either.

She sighed. She didn't really have a choice though. He really had no where to go and it seemed like they were running away from something. It wasn't like it was cold or anything since it was spring, but yet Yoru had looked scared at the thought of Ikuto staying outside.

Amu's shugo chara crowded around her and smiled.

"It was a really nice thing you did, Amu-chan." Dia said quietly. Amu smiled at them. They were proud of her for helping him out even though she knew the consequences. That made her feel a bit better.

She decided she should get some sleep so she closed her eyes and listened to Ikuto's even breathing. It lulled her to sleep quickly.

That night, for the first time since she could remember, she had a different dream. She was standing in the rain. She was cold and wet and alone. She was looking around frantically for something although Amu didn't really know what she was looking for. The Amu in the dream knew though and she looked very upset.

It was dark out and suddenly she fell to the ground and began to cry. She curled up in a ball and laid in the dirt, crying her eyes out.

Amu woke with a start. She didn't understand. Why had it been different? It had never been different. She sat up and looked over at her bed. He was still there of course.

And for some reason he seemed to have a way of effecting her dreams. She didn't know why but it made her curious. She wondered what she had been longing for. What had made her heart feel like it was ripping out of her chest? She could never forget the feeling of not being able to breathe.

"Amu-chan! Are you awake! Why is this door locked?" She could hear her mom's voice from the other side of the door call.

"Uh! Sorry! I slept late! I'm getting dressed, that's why I locked the door. I'll be down in a minute!" She called and jumped up. She looked over at Ikuto and jumped onto the bed.

She began to poke his face and whisper loudly in his ear. "Ikuto! Wake up! It's morning! You can't stay here! Ikuto!"

It was no use. Suddenly she heard Yoru yawn and wake up. "He's still out cold." He told her as he stretched calmly.

Amu on the other hand was not so calm.

"But he needs to go! I can't leave him here!" She yelled but tried to hush her voice as best as she could.

"Amu-chan, you better get ready. Look at the time. You've got to plan more with the wedding planner." Miki reminded her and Amu covered her face with her hands.

"Ugh! Ok, ok. Miki, can you please find me something to wear as I try to wake him up." Miki nodded and went off into the closet. The other shugo chara followed her and Amu began to jump on her bed.

After awhile she realized he was not going to get up and she would be forced to leave him there.

Miki came in with a dress and some shoes just as Amu was giving up. She went into the closet, afraid that he'd finally wake up once she was naked, and got changed quickly.

She came out and looked at Yoru sternly. "No one leaves this room." She said menacingly and Yoru swallowed hard before nodding.

She threw the blanket on top of Ikuto so he wouldn't be seen if anyone came in. She put the pillow back on the bed and it looked almost normal. She knew today wasn't a cleaning day for this part of the castle so she was in luck.

She closed the door behind her and sighed. Today would be a long day knowing what was waiting for her at home.

**Review! :DDDDD**


	6. Curiosity Killed the Cat

**Sorry I haven't updated in a bit. Hope this makes up for it. Again, sorry. .**

**XXYoraXx - XDD That made my day.**

**Dawn - Thanks! Updated! :D**

**GakuenAliceGRL - Shhh. I can't tell you. You'll just have to read on. XD**

**BrambleAkira101 - Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you like this. :D**

**Ok then, onto the story!**

**Yaya: Nope.**

**Huh? What do you mean by nope? **

**Yaya: You can't start the story.**

**Why not?**

**Yaya: Elena does not own shugo chara! Now you can start the story. :D**

**-.- ooook. On with it then.**

Different Worlds

Chapter 5:

Curiosity Killed the Cat

Amu sat with Tadase in a park not far from the castle but she wasn't really listening to what he was saying. She was far too distracted. She kept thinking about what would happen if someone found Ikuto in her room.

"Don't you agree, Amu?"

"Oh! Uh, yeah! I agree!" She said, caught off guard by his question. She wondered what she was agreeing about.

"Amu, is something wrong…?" He asked slowly.

She shook her head quickly. "No, no, nothing's wrong. What could possibly be wrong???" She asked nervously.

"You just seem…distracted." He told her.

"Really? Maybe I'm just tired. I didn't get much sleep last night." She told him. Technically it wasn't a lie. With Ikuto there, she really didn't get any sleep.

"Oh, well are you feeling alright?" He asked, a worried look on his face. She smiled at him.

"I'm fine Tadase. Don't be so worried about me." She looked at her watch. It was finally nearing dinner which would mean she'd have an excuse to go back to her room since she needed to get ready.

"We should probably head back." She said to him and he nodded.

They got back to the castle an hour before dinner was to start. Before going upstairs though Amu sneaked into the kitchen and took some left over food from dinner the night before. She had a turkey leg and some salmon when she ran up the stairs. She was relieved when she made it to her room without being seen. People would think she was going to eat all that food herself and right before dinner too.

She opened the door and closed it behind her quickly. She sighed and her shugo chara relaxed as well since they had made it into the room before Amu had shut the door on them.

"Sorry." She said sheepishly and looked over at the bed.

Only to find it empty…

She stared at it for awhile before totally freaking out.

"Where did he go? He didn't go into the castle did he? And he wasn't feeling well! What if he's not ok?!" Her shugo chara looked around worriedly.

"Amu calm down. I think he left." Dia said slowly pointing to the open balcony doors. She looked out them sadly. The sun was setting and it looked beautiful but it didn't matter. She put the plat of food down on the bed and sat down, facing away from the balcony doors.

For one thing, he was hurt, he shouldn't be out and about if he was just out cold this morning. And for another thing, she missed him again. She had no idea why because it was so irrational but again she missed him. She had thought he had finally come back…

"I'm going to murder you!"

She heard a yell outside and jumped up. She recognized the voice.

"Why would you bring me here of all places! You know this isn't safe! You know why I stayed away!"

She walked towards the balcony doors and saw Ikuto standing in her garden yelling at Yoru.

"I'm sorry! I didn't know where else to bring you. You could've died. And I knew you were upset and everything…"

She watched Ikuto sigh. "I'm sorry for getting so angry. I know why you did it but you know this is bad. We have to leave, right now."

"But you just got here." Amu yelled down to him.

He turned slowly towards her and Amu tried to hide the hurt on her face. Why did he want to leave? What did he mean by the things he was saying? Why wasn't it safe?

He looked up at her for a moment without saying anything.

"I brought you some food from down stairs. The least you could do is eat it." She said slowly.

He sighed and she watched a pair of cat ears appear on his head. He jumped up to where she was and the ears disappeared. And she could've sworn he had just had a tail too.

"Character change." He explained and she nodded. She walked into her room and he followed slowly. She pointed to the plate on her bed.

He said down and looked at the food for a moment before starting to eat it. At first he took small and worried bites but Amu could tell he was starving because before long he was eating a second piece of fish. Yoru joined him and was clearly just as hungry as Ikuto had been.

When he finished eating she looked at him for a moment and sighed. "You know I have a right to know." She said stubbornly.

He glared at her. "A right to know what?"

"What happened to you! I mean, I took you in for the night and do you know what a risk that was for me? I should at least know what happened to you!" She argued.

He frowned. "I didn't ask you to take me in." He pointed out.

"Yoru did."

"Well I'm not Yoru and I don't need your handouts."

"There's nothing wrong with getting help." She told him.

He shook his head. "Well I didn't need it so thanks for the help but I don't owe you anything."

She was starting to get angry at this. "What do I need to do to get you to tell me!" She asked.

"Nothing since it doesn't matter. I got ruffed up. Who cared who did it. Thanks for the warm bed but I'm out of here now."

"Why do you have to leave?" She asked. "Can't you just…stay?" She asked. She herself didn't know why she was asking him this. Wasn't it her this morning who had wanted him out of her room?

"Look, your hurt. At least stay until your better." She told him.

Ikuto sighed and looked outside. He was thinking hard about something. He had an almost tortured look on his face. Amu frowned. Did he really want to leave so badly?

"Amu…" He began slowly.

"No, it's ok. I get it. You don't want to stay…"

"No, that's not it! It just, it's not safe for you."

She looked at him a moment and saw he was silently pleading with his eyes. "Look Ikuto. I know the dangers but you won't be found. Trust me. I know how to hide things in this castle as long as you do what I say." She told him. "I once had a stray cat that stayed in the castle for about six months without being caught." She explained.

He had to laugh at this. "But I'm not a stray cat."

"Well even so, the point is your smarter then a stray cat so chances are you'll know if you have to hide or something when a cat wouldn't really listen to me so easily." She explained.

He just continued to look out the window for a moment. "That wasn't really what I meant…" He said under his breath.

He turned around though before she could say anything about that. "Ok. I'll stay." He said with a frown.

"Well jeez, don't be too excited about it." She said sarcastically.

He chuckled and then looked at her seriously.

"Just promise me something." He whispered.

Amu nodded slowly as a light blush colored her cheeks.

"Promise me you won't get too attached to me." He said with a bit of a smirk.

Amu face palmed.

"What are you talking about you egotistical freak!" She yelled.

"Shhhh!" Ran said quickly.

Amu looked over at her and frowned. "Opps."

Ikuto laid on her bed and looked at her for a moment. "So don't you have to eat dinner or something soon?" He asked her. She looked at the clock and her eyes widened. Dinner was to start in ten minutes.

She ran into her closet and locked it from the inside before grabbing the first thing Miki lifted up to her and slipping it on. It was a green dinner dress. She then hurriedly put on some black shoes. She combed through her hair quickly deciding that it would be find worn down for tonight. She rushed out of the closet and found Ikuto sitting on her bed watching her.

"You look nice." He said raising an eyebrow.

"What's that suppose to mean?" She asked.

"Well, do you normally wear your dresses backwards?" He asked her and she looked down mortified to find that she indeed had the entire dress on backwards.

She ran back into the closet and ran back out a few minutes later wearing the dress the correct way.

"Thank god you noticed that before I went downstairs." She said before going to the door.

"Now remember. You are not to leave this room. And if someone comes in, hide under the bed or in the closet." She told him.

He nodded slowly and she left, closing the door behind her.

***

Ikuto laid on Amu's bed and stared up at the ceiling. What was he doing? He knew nothing good could come from this. He knew he had to follow orders though.

He also knew what would happen if he didn't.

He figured either he could follow the orders, or someone else would.

He shuddered at the thought. This was the best way and he really couldn't put it off much more. He had tried and then he had ended up left for dead when Yoru brought him here.

He could feel a knot in his stomach just thinking about what he was doing.

Just then the door burst open and Amu ran in frantically.

"What's the matter-" He began but didn't get to finish because she was shoving him under her bed.

"Don't make a sound!" She told him.

Just then she opened the door and Ikuto saw another pair of feet walk in. He frowned when he recognized the voice.

"Amu-chan, I don't think your room is dirty." He told her.

"That's because I just tidied it up, Tadase-kun."

Ikuto scrunched his nose at the "chan" and "kun".

"So what did you want to talk about?" Amu asked.

"I wanted to know what was up with you. You've been distracted lately. Well I've noticed it a lot today but even just the past few weeks. I wanna know what's wrong. I wanna help if I can." He told her.

Ikuto frowned. He wanted to know what was wrong with Amu too. A few weeks? What had been happening in the past few weeks. He hadn't seen Amu so he wouldn't know. He had been keeping away from her. He couldn't have anything to do with it, could he? He closed his eyes and listened to the bed squeak lightly as it was sat on.

"Tadase-kun, I'm fine." She assured him but Ikuto could tell she was lying.

"Ok well I want you to know that if there ever is something bothering you, I want you to tell me. I mean, we're going to be married in a few weeks and I don't want us to have any secrets." He told her.

Ikuto's eyes shot open. Married? She was getting married? When he had last heard orders there was no engagement that they had known of. Kazuomi hadn't told him anything like that.

Amu didn't say anything after that but Ikuto could hear the bed move a bit. He peaked his head out a bit and could see Tadase leaning towards Amu. He went back under the bed fully and took his head and smacked the bottom of the bed making a loud noise.

"What was that??" Tadase yelled and Ikuto could see Tadase's feet on the ground as he jumped off the bed.

"Uhh, I-I didn't hear anything. What are you talking about? Maybe you just heard the, uh, pipes. Yeah! The pipes under this floor. Look, uh, I'll see you tomorrow. I'm tired and I think I need to go to sleep." She said quickly.

"Oh ok. I understand. Goodnight." Ikuto watched him lean over and heard the sound of a light peck on the check.

He didn't know why he had made a loud noise to stop him from kissing her before and he couldn't explain the strange satisfaction he had from knowing it was just a peck on the cheek goodnight but he didn't really care. It had been instinct although he knew he was going to be dead once Amu got through with him.

As the door closed though and Tadase was finally gone he could only smile and think:

_It was worth it._

***

Amu had been just about to kiss Tadase when _someone_ had gotten in the way. _Someone_ who was going to be dead very soon. As soon as Tadase left she reached her hand under her bed and yanked Ikuto out.

"What was that?" She said through her teeth as she stood over him.

He just smiled and shrugged. "I don't know what your talking about."

She glared at him a moment and just sat down on her bed. "I'd kill you right now but someone might hear it." She said crossing her arms.

He could only laugh before he stood up and sat on her bed.

They sat there for awhile quietly. It wasn't an awkward silence but a thoughtful one. Amu was curious about what was going on in Ikuto's head though. He was almost too quiet for his usual remarks.

"What's on your mind?" She asked after a moment. She still wasn't looking at him but she could hear him sigh.

"Nothing really…" He said quietly. He paused for a moment. "But your really getting married?"

She chuckled. "Yes. I'm really getting married. What does it matter to you?"

He paused again. "Do you love him?" He asked, ignoring her question completely.

Amu began to blush like crazy at this. "W-What? Why does it matter to you?! What's with these questions?" She yelled.

She could see him smile out of the corner of her eye. "Your running away from the question."

"No I'm not!"

"Then answer it."

She frowned. "Y-Yeah. I guess. I mean, I'm marrying him after all."

He nodded slowly. "Well, that answers my question." He said with a smile.

"What is with these questions anyway?" She asked, turning towards him.

He shrugged. "Curiosity."

She looked at him questioningly for a moment before getting up and walking into the closet. "Get a pillow and a blanket cause your sleeping on the floor."

She shut the door behind her and found some clothes to sleep in. Before getting changed though she sat down for a moment to think about what Ikuto had asked her.

Did she love Tadase? What an odd question. She hadn't thought about it before which was even odder. Shouldn't she know?

And more importantly why was she asking herself the same question he had?

**Hmm, that wasn't my favorite chapter ever and it took me a long time to write it but here it is. Review anyway. Next one is sure to be better. :D**


	7. Walk and Talk

**Next chapter! :D Sorry it took so long. It's been like a month hasn't it? D: I'm sorry.**

**Amu: You better be! D: I need to know what happens to me!**

**I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Here it is! But first reviews. :D**

**BrambleAkira101 - Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. :D I liked getting in Ikuto's head for once. Quite fun. Anyway, here's an update! :D**

**GakuenAliceGRL - I know. :\ It's not very good that she doesn't. .**

**Foxgrl18 - If you insist. XD**

**Amu: Would you just start it already!**

**Ok, ok. . But first, I don't own shugo chara! T_T Ok, now it's on with the story.**

Different Worlds

Chapter 6: Walk and Talk

Amu walked into her room after a long day and sat down on her bed. She had just been with the wedding planner for four hours straight. They had gone to the store today to pick out pretty much everything for the wedding. She even bought her dress. She told them to leave her bags outside and she had just finished pulling them into the room. She was just happy for some peace and quiet.

She closed her eyes for a moment and she could hear her shugo chara sigh as they too sat on her bed.

Peace and quiet…

It suddenly hit her and she sat straight up and looked around the room frantically. Where was Ikuto? He had been in her room about a week now and hadn't left or made any suspicion arise around the castle. But now where was he?!

She jumped up. "Where'd he go?!" She asked her shugo chara.

"Calm down. I'm right here."

She turned towards the voice and saw him on the balcony. She sighed as he walked back into the room.

"You were out late." He mentioned.

"Well I got back just at dinner time so I didn't have time to come back up here."

He nodded and looked out her open balcony doors. "It's nice out." He commented.

She walked out to her balcony and looked out at the gardens. He was right. It was warm out and there wasn't even a breeze. The sun had already set and the stars were just becoming visible through the light clouds. The moon was out already, it was a half moon, nothing special but it was still bright all the same and lit up the gardens.

"It is nice out." She answered, turning back to him.

He nodded and looked out at the gardens again with a bit of a smile on.

"Anyone out in the gardens at this time?" He asked.

She looked at him curiously. "No. Why do you ask?"

"Want to take a walk with me?"

She smiled for a moment before nodding. "Sure. I don't see why not.

He looked out at the balcony for a moment before climbing over the railing and dropping down. She looked over the railing quickly wondering why he hadn't just character changed.

"Ran-"

"Just jump, Amu." Ikuto called to her. She looked back over the railing at him. He was standing there smiling at her. "Leave your shugo chara here, Yoru's sleeping and he'd be very surprised to wake up and find everyone gone." He explained.

Amu nodded and looked at the railing. "Jump?" She asked, a bit unsure.

"Sure. You won't get hurt. It's no that high. Plus I'm down here."

She sighed but put on leg over the railing anyway. She pulled the other foot over quickly and turned to he shugo chara. "Bye guys. I'll be back soon." They nodded to her and went back into the room. She turned back towards Ikuto below her.

She closed her eyes and gracefully jumped down right into his arms.

…

Okay, yeah right. Here's what really happened.

She lost her balance and fell from the balcony, landing right on Ikuto, actually managing to knock him down.

She looked down at Ikuto under her. She was sitting on his stomach and he was laying flat on his back in the grass.

His face was full of surprise. He hadn't been expecting her to fall on top of him, that was for sure.

The look on his face caused her to break out into laughter. She couldn't help herself. The shock on his face had caused it and now she found it hard to stop laughing.

She stood up, trying to stifle her laughter enough to get off of him and when she was finally standing again, she reached a hand out to him. Seeing her laughter had caused him to begin to laugh as well, well as soon as he could breath now that she was off of him. He took her hand and stood up.

"I wasn't expecting that. Your horrible at jumping down from that." He told her.

She laughed. "I usually climb down the siding." She explained, pointing right next to the balcony to the wooden design on the side of the house that could easily be used for such.

Ikuto looked at her for a moment. "Thanks for telling me it was there."

"Sorry. Now come on, let's go for that walk."

They walked further into the garden. They reached the hedges and entered the center of the garden. They could walk around for hours on the grounds because they were so large.

They walked silently, neither one of them saying a word. It was serene and quiet and words didn't seem needed.

Suddenly Ikuto broke the silence.

"Hey, Amu?" He whispered.

She wasn't sure why he was whispering but she supposed it could be because of the pure quietness of the place. Then when she answered him she found herself whispering and she suddenly couldn't explain why.

"Yeah?"

He stopped walking for a moment and she stopped with him, looking over at him.

"Have…have you ever had to do something you didn't want to?" He asked her seriously.

She looked at him questioningly. She had to think about the question. Why was he asking this? Why didn't it seem to matter why he was asking. She just tried to think of an answer. The wedding came to her head and she didn't know why. She pushed the thought away. No, that didn't make sense. She wanted the wedding. Of course she did. She was happy with Tadase.

"No, I don't think so." She answered, although even she didn't believe herself.

He looked at her for a moment before sighing. "I suppose, we just come from different worlds, huh?"

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Nothing. It's not important. Come on." And with that he continued to walk. She walked quickly to catch up with him and before she knew it they were walking into the center of the gardens. She looked around with a smile. She remembered this place well. There was the fountain and the bench they had sat on the night he first found out she was a princess.

She walked ahead of him and sat down on the bench. He sat next to her and looked around.

"Interesting place we ended up in." He said with a smile.

She laughed. "We always seem to find our way here, don't we?"

"Yeah…"

She looked over at him and saw the frown on his face.

"Hey, what's wrong?" She asked.

She sighed. "It's nothing you need to worry about." He said to her.

She frowned. "Well if that's the case then you shouldn't worry either. Just enjoy the moment. Think about it later."

He looked over at her. "Your such a kid."

"Would you stop saying that!" She yelled.

He smiled though. "Ok, ok. Enjoy the moment. Will do."

She smiled and looked in front of her at the flowers nearby. She got up and walked towards them. She could feel his eyes on her, watching her, probably wondering what she was doing.

She leaned down and looked at the little flowers. They were so small. Spring had only just started and so they hadn't grown too big yet. Some even had buds still on them. Amu walked back over to the fountain and grabbed a small watering can that was placed it. It seemed the gardeners had left it there.

She brought it back to the little flowers and watered them lightly. Before bring the watering can back to it's original spot.

Ikuto looked at her with interest. She turned back to him.

"What?" She asked.

"You felt the need to water those right now?"

"Yeah. I don't know. I was looking at them and I thought they looked a bit dry."

"At night?" He smiled.

"Yes, at night. Flowers are important. They need to grow. They're too small."

"What's wrong with them being small?" Ikuto asked.

"Well I don't want someone to not see them and step on them. I know I wouldn't want to step on them by accident."

"They're just flowers." He reasoned.

"Yeah but flowers are pretty and make people happy. I wouldn't want to hurt something so much smaller then me and take it away from those who love flowers." She explained.

Ikuto suddenly froze like he'd been hit hard with something she had said. But about flowers?

He closed his eyes and sighed, leaning back.

"What's wrong?" She asked him, for the second time now.

He opened his eyes and looked at her, panic in his eyes.

"What?!" She was getting nervous now. What was he freaking out about?

"I-I need to leave." He told her.

"What? Why?" She asked, surprised by his sudden exclamation.

"I don't want to hurt you." He mumbled under his breath.

She hadn't heard him though and so she went to open her mouth but he stood up and walked closer to her before she could say anything. They were only about a foot apart now.

"I just have to leave. It's best for everyone." He told her.

He turned away from her.

"Don't leave. Things have been so much better with you around." She said sadly. As odd as it seemed it was true. She couldn't explain it, but she was happier when she was with him. He was always teasing her and his very being in the castle was dangerous, but she liked his company. She missed him when he was gone, and the nightmares were new and interesting when he was around. She wanted to spend more time with him, and she wanted to figure out her odd dreams.

He looked down at her. "Don't say that."

"Why? It's true. Things are better with you around. There, I said it again!" She looked at him stubbornly.

He smiled down at her. "Your such a child."

Her anger had reached the boiling point. "I am not a child!" She yelled. She narrowed her eyes and stepped closer to him. He stepped back as she did so. "I'm sick of you always saying that! Just because I'm not dark and pessimistic like you does not make me a child!" She continued to walk forward, forcing him to walk back.

Until suddenly they were right next to the fountain, only Ikuto didn't realize this. His foot hit the side and he lost his balance and went tumbling backwards, of course, not before grabbing Amu and pulling her in with him.

Amu didn't exactly hit the water, but instead hit Ikuto who hit the water. She landed right on top of him but the water was pretty shallow so Amu was barely even wet. Ikuto on the other hand was soaked. Although the water wasn't high enough to cover his face either.

She looked down at him, this was the second time she had fallen on him in just one day. But he was looking up at her with something that could resemble awe. And her stare may have been the same at the moment.

Suddenly, the two moved closer without even a thought until their lips met. They kissed deeply for a moment before Amu truly realized what she was doing. She jerked herself up and off of him before jumping out of the fountain.

She put her hands to her mouth in shock without even looking back at the fountain. What was she doing? She was getting married! And here she was kissing someone else. And on top of that, the feelings behind it only made things worse. She turned back around to see Ikuto still laying in the fountain with a look of surprise on his own face. He was looking up at the sky but turned his midnight blue eyes to her. He sat up in the fountain, still as soaked as ever, and looked at her.

"I'm sorry-" he began.

"Don't be. It's not your fault. It was my fault. I pushed you into the fountain and then I, and then you, and then it just was so…um..." She stopped talking. She honestly had no idea where her thoughts were heading so she just thought it best if she shut up.

He slowly stood up and out of the water. His shirt, pants, and hair was dripping.

She looked down at her self and saw that only the bottom of her dress was a bit wet but that was about it.

"I'll get you some clothes inside." She started towards the castle and heard him slush along behind her.

She planned on just not speaking of this again. It was better forgotten. A mistake. That was all it was. Tadase didn't have to know, and her and Ikuto could just forget about the whole silly mess and laugh about it when they're older perhaps.

But what was this feeling that came with the kiss itself. Why did she feel this way? Why was her heart beating faster? And her breath coming slower? And most importantly, why did she want to kiss him again?

They made it back to her bedroom window and she called to Ran who came outside singing: "Hop, Step, Jump!"

Amu jumped into her window without looking back at Ikuto. She went into her closet and took out some of her dad's clothes. They were old clothes that Amu had used to play dress up when she was little. Nothing had ever fit her of course but they'd probably fit Ikuto.

She took them out and when she was in the room, Ikuto was already on the balcony and his cat ears disappearing.

"Here. These should fit you. I'm going to change in the closet so just tell me when your done in here." She said slowly before going into the closet. She got out her clothes and began to get undressed.

'_I'll just forget it happened. I'll just forget it happened. I'll just forget it happened.' _She continued saying to herself although after a few minutes she knew she wasn't fooling anyone. She'd never forget this.

**Yay! Cute chapter! All you amuto fans probably like the romance (finally). XD So anyways, review if you'd like. Love hearing your thoughts although I'm pretty sure I've said that already by this point. XD Hope I get the chance to update soon. :D**


	8. Devastation

**I'm so sorry it took so long to repost. I've been…going through a lot lately and all at once. Sorry I haven't thought of you guys. :/**

**Ikuto: Elena's grandpa just died. V.V**

**Yeahhhhh. There's that.**

**Amu: And her mom and step dad (practically dad) are getting divorced.**

**Ok let's stop pitying me. Don't need to keep talking about this crap. I just wanna write! ._.**

**Ikuto: Ok ok. Just answer some reviewers first.**

**Ok. I can do that.**

**Xlilsweetzx: Thanks. :D**

**Winter Knight: Thanks! And honestly I don't even know yet. XD We shall see. :o**

**nagihiko's hime Riri-tan: Thanksies!**

**GakuenAliceGRL: Those are really good questions. :/**

**Animegothgirl9: OK I'M MAKING MORE! :D**

**Tohru - Rikugou: Glad you like it! Update, finally! :D**

**I don't own shugo chara. Ok, story time.**

Different Worlds

Chapter 7: Devastation

Things had been…awkward since the incident in the gardens. They never talked about it but they both knew. It was hard to deny what happened completely. Once Ikuto's clothes had dried he had changed into them quickly as to probably help things go back to normal.

He had also been different since then. He was quieter. Perhaps he felt bad? He knew she was marrying Tadase. He was sad and maybe if that was the only emotion in his face she'd think he had feelings for her and didn't want her to get married. But there was something else in his eyes that was always hard to detect.

Fear.

Pure terror. Every time he looked at her long enough or even talked to her, he was scared. Amu had no idea what (or who) he was afraid of but it scared her too. She couldn't get the image of pure terror on his face when they were in the gardens that night, out of her mind.

She almost wanted to find out what was causing his fear and fix it. But she knew he had demons only he could stare down and for some reason she felt that she shouldn't push the issue.

A few days after the incident (as Amu had begun to call it in her mind) she had come into her room to find Ikuto sitting on her bed as usual.

She gave him a plate of food and he turned around when he saw the food. Yoru ran over and grabbed some for himself. Ikuto and Yoru ate as Amu removed her jacket and put it on her chair.

"Have a good day?" Ikuto asked awkwardly. Amu stared at him for a moment. He never asked how her day was. This was so strange and not like him at all.

"Good…" She said slowly.

He nodded. "What'd you, uh, do?"

"Wedding planning, shopping, went out to eat lunch. Why do you ask?" He looked at her sternly. "Where did you go to eat?"

"Um, this little place near the lake. What's with the interrogation?"

He eyes widened and that same look of terror entered his eyes. Then suddenly a look of sad realization came over him.

"What's the matter with you?" She asked him. She couldn't take not knowing any longer.

"Nothings the matter. It's getting late. I'm going to sleep."

And with that he grabbed his pillow and his blanket and laid down on the floor. She stared at him in disbelief. How could he pretend nothing was wrong after that?

She got undressed in her closet quickly and laid down in her bed. Just as she began to doze off she woke with a start. Something was off.

She got out of bed quickly and then winced when she realized she was standing on Ikuto…then she realized she wasn't standing on anything although she should've been…

She looked down and was standing on just a blanket, no Ikuto. Where had he gone now?

She looked out her balcony just in time to see him jump over the railing. She ran out to her balcony and she could hear her shugo chara waking up behind her. Good, she was going to need them.

"Ran! Hop, step, jump!"

Ran did as she was asked and Amu jumped down to the gardens. By the time she did so, Ikuto was already far ahead of her.

"What're we doing?" Miki asked as Amu chased after him.

"We have to catch up with Ikuto."

"Where is he going?" Sue said quietly.

"I don't know Sue. That's why we have to follow him."

She ran after him until finally she exited the gardens and was now on the street. She looked up at the sky and realized it was cloudy. She couldn't see any stars or the moon. It was very dark out without the moon light and almost made her surroundings eerie.

She finally got closer to him and yelled out to him.

"Ikuto!"

He stopped abruptly and turned around slowly.

"Where are you going? What are you doing out here?" She asked him.

"I'm leaving."

Amu stared at him. "Where will you go?"

He shrugged. "Don't know yet."

"Well, can you at least tell me why?"

He shrugged again. "I'm bored."

She stared at him dumbly for a moment. "You're a liar."

He flinched.

"Why can't you just be honest. Look I know why your leaving. I know what it is. You feel the exact same way I do and your scared."

Ikuto stared at her through narrowed eyes. "And how exactly do I feel?"

She recoiled. "You-you know just as well as I do what's happening. That kiss was real."

He suddenly began to laugh. "You know, I told you not to get attached to me."

With that he turned around and began to walk away. Amu ran in front of his path.

"Stop it. Stop pretending. You know it just as well as I-"

"You don't know anything. That kiss meant nothing to me. I know you think this "love" is mutual but your wrong. I don't feel at all like you do. That's why I'm leaving. Your clearly falling for me and I'm not going to stick around if you have some fantasy in your head about us being together. It's not going to happen."

Amu didn't have a word to say to that. As soon as he said the word 'love' she suddenly realized how she was feeling. And how he _wasn't_ feeling. Her throat was choked up and she couldn't speak. He looked at her coldly and when he realized she wasn't going to say anything more he stepped around her still form and continued down the road.

Amu couldn't move though. She didn't know who to hate more. Hate him for the things he had said or hate herself for falling for him in the first place.

Her shugo chara floated nearby and just watched Amu as slowly the ice around her melted and she was no longer frozen to the spot.

And that was when the sobbing began. She couldn't find the will inside her to stop. Nothing was right anymore. He had come into her life so suddenly and she had somehow fallen for him meanwhile poor Tadase loved her so much and she was off with Ikuto. And to think he didn't even feel the same way. She was just someone to waste time with for awhile and to use for his own amusement. She felt horrible. How could she be so stupid?

She felt a rain drop hit her cheek and slowly it began to drizzle. She walked home slowly and the drizzles turned into full blown rain drops. Her shugo chara watched her nervously, worried about her. She looked around at the gardens and all the places they'd been trying to find where it had gone wrong.

She couldn't stop crying and it felt like her heart was ripping from her chest. She couldn't breath. She tripped over a small patch of dirt and landed on the ground. She realized that she didn't have the will power to get up though. She just laid there and sobbed. She was suddenly reminded of her dream so long ago. The first night Ikuto had spent in her room. She realized what the dream meant. She realized why she felt that way in the dream. It hurt just as much as she remembered it did too.

"Amu...you have to get up." Dia said quietly.

Amu stopped crying suddenly. She had forgotten about her shugo chara. She sat up slowly and looked at them. They smiled at her.

"Don't cry Amu." Ran said quietly.

"Oh no!"

Amu looked over at Sue. "What is it?"

"The flowers. You crushed the flowers." She said sadly.

Amu looked down at the patch of dirt she has tripped over. In her blind sorrow she had stepped on them. Her eyes welled up again and she picked up one of the tiny flowers that had been pulled out of the ground, roots and all.

She held it close to her chest and more tears fell.

"I'm sorry…" She said silently.

She stood up and placed the dead flower where it had started off and walked back to her balcony. Ran helped her jump to her room and she collapsed on her bed.

She closed her eyes and felt sleep come quickly.

That night her dream was horrible. She wasn't in it at all for once. Again she was having a different dream. This time it was centered around Ikuto. He was sitting in a dark room. Amu could only see him though because it was too dark to see the other figures.

Suddenly someone smacked Ikuto on the back with a long wooden stick.

_Smack._

Amu's heart jumped.

"You failed us." A male voice said quietly. "You never do what your told."

Ikuto remained silent.

"What? No smug remark? I'm ashamed in you. You always have something to say."

_Smack._

"Still nothing?"

_Smack._

"What you did was pretty pointless in the long run."

_Smack._

"Someone's going to do it anyway."

_Smack._

"Right?"

"Right." A female voice answered.

The man laughed. "You see? You should be more like her. She listens to what I say."

_Smack._

"Yes, boss."

The girl walked closer to Ikuto but Amu still couldn't see her face.

"Why didn't you listen? Don't you see what happens? Now I have to do it otherwise they'll kill you."

_Smack._

"But can you please stop hitting him!" She screeched.

Ikuto somehow managed to laugh. "It's ok. I can take a few hits. Besides, this guy doesn't hit very hard."

_SMACK._

"There's the Ikuto I know and love." The male said sarcastically. "Now go. Get the job done by tomorrow night."

A door opened and closed as the girl retreated. The man got closer to Ikuto until he was standing in the light but all Amu could see was the back of his head.

"Now that the girl's gone I just want you to know that whether she does the job or not, your still not going to live. What you did can not go without punishment."

Amu sat straight up and looked around her dark room. She had broke out into a cold sweat during her dream. She was panting and her heart was beating too fast. What was that?

She didn't fall back asleep that night. Or any other nights that week.

**:OO Oh my gosh. That was pretty crazy. Let's all review. All the cool kids are doing it. (yes I'm using peer pressure. :D)**

**Oh and sorry it's so short. I had no choice. I wanted it to be longer and I tried but it just wouldn't get longer. Again sorry about this chapter being short. I didn't want to drag things out though. :/ I'll try to make the next one really long. The next chapter may be the last one. :O or the one after that. I haven't decided. But don't worry I like epilogues too. :D So again sorry it took so long and that its not that long. D:**


	9. Living A Lie

**Again. Ugh. I take so long to update. I strongly apologize. D:**

**Reviewers, let me finally answer you.**

**Vampire-charmer-101 - Thanks! Your review really made me happy. :D I'm glad you like it so much. Finally updating, hope you haven't forgotten this story too much.**

**Winter Knight - Oh don't worry. I have plenty more planned for this so don't think I don't. When I say I have another chapter or two it's because they'd probably have to be longer chapters. I wouldn't want to just cut this short.**

**..Rose - Thanks! I'm really glad I can provide you with a story you like so much. :D**

**GakuenAliceGRL - I know! They needa stop that! D:**

**Sigy Artny - xD Thanks. I like that part.**

**I don't own shugo chara. Sorry.**

Different Worlds

Chapter 8: Living a Lie

_Amu looked at her reflection in the mirror. She wasn't sure what she was suppose to see. She figured she was suppose to see a girl on the happiest day of her life. She should be shining and elegant in her expensive dress. Tears of joy in her eyes as she thought of the people waiting for her outside. She herself had been counting down the days until today would finally come._

_So why was it that the girl she looked upon now was sad. Her appearance looked fine. She had a beautiful dress on with her hair done perfectly. That was all most people would see. All they would be able to see. But anyone who knew her well would see otherwise. They'd see that the light that was normally in her eyes would be gone. The radiance she tended to emit was no longer there. The only thing that lingered were blood shot eyes and a frown that wouldn't leave her face no matter how hard she tried to smile._

_She thought of the people out there that would be confused at this. Most of them wouldn't notice. But her family and her friends would. And most importantly, Tadase would. She was worried about that. He'd probably be worried and want to know what upset her. But she couldn't tell him._

_She walked away from the mirror on her wall to her bed. The room seemed so cold and empty now. She opened the door to her balcony and looked up at the sky. It was bright out of course. The sun was shining although she didn't know why. She felt like it should be raining. Or at least cloudy. But no, it was freaking shining. The world was lit up and as she looked over the grounds she could see flowers of all different kinds blooming._

_It was odd. Even though they were filled with workers running here and there to be prepared for the big day, the gardens were still empty to Amu. They would always be empty. From now until forever. Tears rose in her eyes again and she quickly caught them before they could fall. She couldn't think about such things. Not after what he said to her. Not now._

_She suddenly heard a knock on her bedroom door. She walked back into her room and yelled, "What is it?"_

"_It's time." She heard Miki say. She could feel the pit in her stomach grow deeper as she realized what was before her. She took a deep breath, wiped away all remaining tears and put the fakest smile on her face one could ever see. She walked towards the door that would lead her to the end of all and any dreams that had lingered in her heart. The place that would make everything change._

_Her wedding._

Her father was waiting in the hall and when she stepped out of her room he began to cry the tears of joy that she should have had in her own eyes.

"My little girl's getting married!" He wailed. Amu chuckled lightly at his behavior.

"Dad, get a hold of yourself." She said lightly.

He sniffled and nodded. "You're right." He took her hand and walked towards the stair's that would led to where everyone was waiting for them. "I guess I'm just so happy."

She nodded slowly in response. She felt horrible that she was dreading this. It was cruel of her.

Her father turned towards her and kissed her forehead before placing the veil over her face.

She could hear the music starting as people stood and she slowly descended the stairs, arm and arm with her father.

She looked out at all their faces. She was avoiding Tadase's eyes though. In a way she was glad she had the veil on.

Everyone was smiling. She tried to follow their example but a small tear slid down her cheek. The veil covered it up and she hoped that people would think it was a happy tear. Brides sometimes cry on their wedding days, don't they?

She avoided her mother's eyes, and those of her friends as well until she finally made it to the alter in the front of the room.

Her father lifted the veil from her face and hugged her tightly before placing her hand into Tadase's.

She finally looked up at Tadase's face and saw how he smiled at her. It made her smile slightly but it also made the pit in her stomach grow. She looked behind her at the bridal party and Rima watched her curiously.

She stepped up next to Tadase and looked to the minister. Tadase seemed in his own place as they stood there. He didn't notice Amu's state because he was just so happy.

Amu wanted to burst into tears. She felt like such a fake. A big phony. She was lying to everyone here. Pretending she loved Tadase. Pretended she wanted this.

Pretending she was happy.

The minister drawled on until he spoke words that Amu had secretly wanted to hear.

"If anyone objects to this union, speak now or forever hold you peace."

The room was eerily quiet. Amu closed her eyes and waited in the silence. She was waiting for her savior to crash through the doors and object the way it was in all the books she'd ever read.

But nothing happened.

And the ceremony moved on. Just like that.

That had been it. Her last chance to get out of this and it had gone by so quickly. She supposed she should have expected that. That kinda thing didn't happen in real life. It still hurt though.

It was just like her dreams. Even though none of them had been real, it still hurt all the same. Every time that man playing the violin died and every time Ikuto made an appearance in her dreams, it always seemed to bring some sort of pain.

The weird thing though, was that the night before her wedding, she dreamt of nothing. Nothing at all.

She had never slept straight through a night in her life. At least not any she could remember.

She was brought back to reality as the priest asked Tadase to say his vows. They had written their own vows. Amu had written hers awhile ago, when he first proposed. She didn't even remember what her vows said now.

Amu looked at his smiling face and wanted to die. She knew all his words were going to slowly kill her. The guilt was eating her alive as it was and now this only could make things worse.

"Amu, I've always loved you. I know in the past I never made my feelings clear but I want you to always know that I love you. I want you to know this this is real. Every part of it. These feelings we have are real."

A tear slid down Amu's cheek. It wasn't real. None if it was. She was a liar. A dirty liar, who was in love with someone else.

"I know we have no secrets and I know we never will. I'm so happy that you've agreed to be my wife" he finished.

More tears streamed and everyone seemed to think they were tears of joy as a few people giggled as the minister handed her a tissue.

It seemed he was done and Amu picked up her piece of paper. The vows she couldn't even remember writing. The minister said a few words Amu didn't hear and suddenly all eyes were on her.

She began to read off the paper slowly.

"Tadase, you are the most honest person I know." she choked out through tears. "You are pure, gentle, caring, and above all kind. You are the very person you've always wanted to be. And I couldn't be happier to spend my life with you. We have no secrets and-and-and-"

That was when she burst out into tears. Horrible, sad, longing sobs that echoed through the large hall.

A few people gasped because these sobs could no longer be confused with tears of joy.

She looked at Tadase's face and could see the hurt he was swimming in. She was too busy drowning in her own hurt though. She was sobbing uncontrollably in front of everyone.

"I can't do this!" She choked out and decided that running would be her best option.

She turned to Tadase quickly. "I'm so sorry." She whispered before running back up the aisle and through the castle.

She made it outside and collapsed on a bench near the front gates.

Her sobs had stopped but she still wasn't in a good state. She felt horribly guilty. Guilty for lying to Tadase for so long and guilty for hurting him now. She had never hurt someone like that…

"Amu!"

Amu's head shot up at the sound of her maid of honor's voice and she watched a small, uncoordinated blond running towards her.

"Amu, what happened? What's been going on with you?"

Rima sat next to her and Amu was glad to have the support of a friend who wasn't judging her.

She started from the beginning and told Rima everything. All about how she found Ikuto and how he learned of who she was. She told her about how Yoru brought him to her when he was hurt and how he stayed with her. Then she told Rima about the kiss in the gardens and his leaving.

"I've been lying to everyone. I've lied to you, my parents, Tadase, and most importantly, myself. I love him Rima. And he doesn't love me. So now everyone's hurt. And it's all my fault." She told Rima as the tears escaped her eyes.

"Amu, you're an idiot."

Amu glared at Rima. She had thought she wasn't being judged.

"No, no. I didn't mean for hurting people. You didn't mean to do that. I meant about Ikuto."

Amu looked at her funny for a moment. "What about him?"

"Amu, the whole time he was there, he didn't want to hurt you. He must have been ordered to hurt you and he couldn't. He probably said those things to you to get you to leave him so he wouldn't have to hurt you. It's hard to mistake a kiss Amu. If you say you felt something in it, then he couldn't have felt nothing."

Amu smiled lightly and shook her head. "I don't know Rima. Besides, it's not like we could ever really be together. Even if that's the case, he's trapped in Kazuomi's clutches."

"Don't let that stop you." Rima said slowly. "I just mean, sometimes you have to fight for what you want."

"Rima, I've already hurt so many people…"

"So make it right!" Rima said standing up. She looked towards the castle. "And now's your chance to do just that." She said quickly.

Amu looked over and saw Tadase walking towards them. Amu's instincts screamed '_RUN!'_ but she knew she needed to stay planted to the spot she was in and face this.

"I'll just leave you two alone." Rima said slowly as Tadase approached Amu.

He sat down next to Amu but didn't say anything. Amu didn't know what to say first so she remained silent as well. After awhile though, it was clear that someone was going to burst.

"You know I deserve to know why." Tadase finally stated.

"I know." Amu said slowly. She sighed. "I never wanted to hurt you, you know. I really wanted to marry you. I don't want you to think it was _all_ a lie…"

"So what was a lie." He said slowly.

A sob threatened to escape Amu but she kept as much of her composure as she could.

"It's someone else." She said slowly.

Tadase's head turned away from Amu for a moment. It seemed it was his turn to keep his composure.

"Do you love him?"

Amu chucked humorlessly. "Somehow, I do."

Tadase took a deep breath. "Who?"

Amu flinched. He wasn't going to like this. "Before you get mad, listen to me. He's not what you think, he got away from me to protect me and-"

"Ikuto Tsukiyomi." Tadase said quietly.

Amu's eyes widened and she looked over at him. "You knew?"

"I had a feeling when you defended him that night at the ball. And then when I went into your room that day I knew something was odd about that noise. I didn't exactly leave when you told me you were tired. I listened by the door. I know it was wrong of me, but that was when I knew."

Amu was a bit surprised that he had spied on her but then again, compared to what she did to him, that was nothing.

"Why didn't you tell anyone he was there?"

"I didn't want to hurt you." He answered slowly.

"Yeah, but you said Ikuto was dangerous. I figured that would've caused you tell someone about him."

"I knew he wouldn't hurt you."

"How though?"

Tadase sighed. "When I told you about Ikuto the night of the ball, I left out part of our story. You see, me and Ikuto grew up like brothers. Ikuto's mother, Souko, was queen of a neighboring province. She married a peasant from a whole other world then her own. His name was Aruto Tsukiyomi. They had two children, a boy and a girl.

"Then one day, Aruto disappeared. No one knew where he went. Some said he stole Souko's money and left. Others said he ran away with another women. It's still a mystery where he went. But all that mattered to Souko and her children, was that they had been abandoned.

"Souko remarried Kazuomi who as you know, was already banished from my kingdom for trying to overthrow my grandparents when he was younger. That was when Ikuto came back. Ikuto swore he wanted to get away from his step father. He said he was an awful man and needed somewhere to get away from him. We took him in because after all he was a childhood friend of the family. We couldn't say no.

"Then one night we heard a lot of noise coming from my grandmother's room. We ran in to find the room trashed, Ikuto gone, and my grandmother on the floor. That was when she had her stroke. She doesn't talk anymore and he legs are paralyzed. She'll never be the same and we'll never know what happened that night." Tadase finished through clenched teeth.

Amu was shocked. There was so much to take in. For one thing, Ikuto grew up a prince. They weren't really from different worlds after all. She also didn't know what happened that night, but Amu knew Ikuto didn't have anything to do with Tadase's poor grandmother. She just felt it deep inside. She couldn't explain how or why but she just knew.

"Wait, if you believed he hurt your grandmother, then why didn't you think he'd hurt me?" She asked.

Tadase looked down. "He sounded like the old Ikuto when he was in your room. I grew up with him and for some reason, I just didn't think he would. He had sounded happier, like he was before his father disappeared. Before he believed that Aruto abandoned him."

Tadase reached into his pocket and pulled out a picture. "This is both of our families when we were little. I carry this around because his family used to be mine too and I miss those days. Now the Tsukiyomi's are all mixed up." He said sadly.

Amu looked at the picture, spotting a young Ikuto standing with two blonde, younger children. One was Tadase but the other was a girl with long, blonde pig tails. She was clutching Ikuto's leg for dear life.

She looked up and saw a younger version of Tadase's parents and his grandmother. Then she saw a beautiful young women with long blonde hair. She had her hands on Ikuto's little shoulders and was leaning down and smiling. And to Amu's surprise, Ikuto was looking up at her, smiling right back.

Amu scanned the last person in the picture and nearly fell over.

"Tadase! Who is this?" She asked, pointing.

"That's Aruto. Ikuto's father. I know, Ikuto looks just like him."

Amu's jaw dropped. Why hadn't she thought of it before? That was why Ikuto looked exactly like the man in her dreams. It was his father.

She stood up straight and Tadase looked at her in alarm.

"What's wrong?"

"I know what happened to Aruto."

**I finally updated! :D I'm sorry. I say sorry so many times when I update cause I'm such a bad little updater. This isn't the last chapter or anything so don't worry. I think I'm gonna need at least two or three more. XD More ideas constantly coming to me. What can I say? So review! I may write more tomorrow and for once have an update up at a normal time. :O Imagine that!**

**Ikuto: Where am I in this chapter.**

**Oh gosh, where did you come from?**

**Ikuto: Apparently, not this chapter.**

**You weren't in it, but everyone's talking about you. Does that make you feel better?**

**Ikuto: A little.**

**Utau: I made my first appearance! :D But really, when am I gonna be in here more. YOU DIDN'T EVEN MENTION MY NAME!**

**Yeah yeah, sorry Ikuto jr. Both of you need to calm down. Ask the nice people for reviews now.**

**Utau: Please review! And tell Elena you want some Utau in the story!**

**Oh shut up you.**

**Ikuto: And tell her how sexy Ikuto is and how much you want him to be in this story even more then he already is! :D**

**I'm cutting you guys off right now.**


	10. The Ugly Truth

**Amu: :OOO Are…you…updating?**

…**yes. Do you have a problem with that?**

**Amu: No it's just that, it's only been about a week, if not less then that… You usually take three years.**

**I know…but I wanna write so shut up before I decide not to write.**

**Amu: :x**

**Now wonderful reviews! :D**

**Winter Knight - Thanks! :DD**

**Sigy Artyn - Thanksies! And yes, Utau is always welcome in my fics. Who knows if she'll be in this one. :o lol And YES IKUTO IS WORTH EVERY FAN GIRLYNESS! *faints***

**XxSingingAgonyxX - I'll just answer to all of your reviews here. :D I LOVE YORU! XD Try not to get him so dizzy when you shake him up and down though. XD And your almost murder made me crack up. Always have Rima around, what with her handy scythe. :D Good predictions. And don't worry, you can jump to any and all conclusions you wanna jump to anytime. Maybe you'll end up being right. :o XD And maybe you're just like Amu. :o You better be careful. XD**

**Saranghaeyo - Thanks! I'm glad you like it. :3**

**amuto4eva101 - I really wanna know what happens too! That's why imma write now. :D And thanks! I love hearing stuff like that. :'D**

**GakuenAliceGRL - Who? Amuto?**

**xXxNekoxChanxXx - xD YOUR SO RIGHT! **

**Vampire-charmer-101 - I LOVE YOU! XD I'm happy this is on your favorites. It makes me feel special. It was like when someone told me they printed out one of my stories and put it in their room and I was like :DD REALLY? Sorry, random rambling. Anywho glad you liked the chapter and I'll be sure to tell Ikuto!**

**Ikuto: Tell me what?**

**Oh well vampire-charmer-101 (sorry don't know your name :o) says hi. Oh and you're they're inspiration to play violin! :D**

**Ikuto: Cool. I am pretty inspirational.**

**Riiiight…**

**Ikuto: Just look at me.**

…**You have a point. Anyways, back to the review, it made me really happy. I'm glad you think I'm awesome! YOUR PRETTY SNAZZY YOURSELF! :D TTYL! XD**

**Okay. Someone do the damn disclaimer.**

**Rima: *takes out pretty scythe* Elena doesn't own shugo chara.**

**O.o Uhh yeah, what she said.**

Different Worlds

Chapter 9: The Ugly Truth

Amu figured it all out. Kazuomi had had things planned for so long.

Her dream wasn't just a dream. It was real. It was a memory. A horrible, horrible, memory. Kazuomi was the one trying to kill Amu for some reason, and Aruto saved her. Only to end in his death. And with that, Kazuomi became king when he married Souko.

And Ikuto became his slave.

That was the only conclusion Amu could come to. She couldn't stand to believe that he had followed Kazuomi purposely. He had been so close to Tadase before and suddenly he was evil? She just couldn't see it.

But Amu didn't know why she never knew of this happening. Why hadn't her parents told her of this? Were they trying to protect her? She wasn't sure, but it wasn't important now. She had to find Ikuto.

At first Amu ran out of the castle gates. She still had her wedding dress on and her shugo chara were still in the castle, probably looking for her. But she didn't have time to find them.

She had to save Ikuto. She realized that if her old dream had been real, then that dream she had had with Ikuto in the dark room must be real aswell. But when did it happen? When did the man in the dark part of the room, that Amu could only guess was Kazuomi, tell Ikuto he was going to be killed by tomorrow night. Was it today? Yesterday? She dreaded to think it was any time before that.

And what was the job Ikuto had to do?

She didn't think it was important though and she began to run through the streets. People stopped and stared at her. It wasn't often you see the princess running down the street in a giant wedding dress, she supposed.

She stopped running suddenly when she realized, she didn't know where she was going…

She looked to the right and saw the very ally she met Ikuto. She walked into it slowly but she knew there wasn't anything to find here. Why had she even come here in the first place?

"Stupid, stupid, stupid." She muttered to herself, smacking her forehead.

"You got that right." She heard someone whisper behind her. That was when she was quickly blindfolded.

"Hey-" A slap of tape on her mouth stopped that thought from getting out.

And she realized that she didn't even have her shugo chara with her. She was pretty much screwed.

* * *

The floor stopped moving and she could sense light on the other side of the dark cloth over her eyes. She was roughly pulled from what Amu assumed was a horse carriage with a large open back, such as the ones used for deliveries.

She was shoved roughly up a few steps and through a door. Amu figured she must have been in a house but she had no idea where. It hadn't been a far ride from the ally.

She was pushed onto a couch and the cloth was taken off of her eyes finally. She squinted at the brightness.

She looked at the girl in front of her. She looked extremely familiar…

She had fierce purple eyes and long blond hair put into pigtails. **((A/N: That's right guys! :O)) **She was extremely pretty and wore a tight fitting black dress with black heels.

Why did she look so familiar though? Amu had never seen this girl in her life.

"You gonna scream for help if I take the tape off your mouth?" She asked.

Amu shook her head and the tape was quickly ripped from her mouth. She rubbed her jaw delicately and looked back up at the girl.

"Who are you?" She asked slowly.

The girl gave her an odd look. "That's your first question? I thought it'd be something along the lines of 'What do you want with me?' I mean at this point, does it really matter who I am?"

Amu didn't waver though. "Who are you?"

The girl sighed. "I'm Utau Hoshina."

Amu thought for a moment. Hoshina was such a familiar name. She tried to think back and finally remembered. Kazuomi Hoshina.

"You're Kazuomi's daughter?" Amu asked, shocked.

"No! Never! He's my stepfather!" Utau yelled quickly.

Amu gasped. "You're the little girl in the photos!"

Utau gave her another odd look. "What are you talking about?"

"You're…Ikuto's sister." She said slowly.

Utau froze at his name. "How do you know Ikuto?" She yelled, jumping closer to Amu quickly.

Amu leaned back as much as the rope tying her wrists together allowed her. "How do I not know Ikuto. He was-" She broke off. "You don't already know?"

Utau looked furious at this question for some reason. "No I don't already know!" she snapped. "All I know was he was suppose to kill you but he didn't even get close to you! When we saw you at our restaurant on the water and knew he hadn't killed you, Kazuomi was so angry. My stupid brother was just begging for Kazuomi to murder him!" She almost looked like she was mumbling more to herself then telling Amu anything.

Amu's eyes widened. "He was suppose to kill me?" She whispered.

Utau looked at her sideways. "Yes. But you never told me how you know him."

Amu couldn't say anything to answer Utau though. She had thought that perhaps he had been sent to kidnap her or trick her into something. But to _kill_ her? She hadn't seen that coming.

But throughout it all, he never even attempted to hurt her. He had always just wanted to leave…

"Utau. Do you care about Ikuto?" she asked, completely ignoring Utau's previous question.

"I-I-of course I do! I love Ikuto! That's why I have to do this." She said pulling a knife out of the side table draw near her. Amu's eyes widened. She tried to wiggle away from Utau but with her limbs tied up, she wasn't making any progress.

"Utau don't!" She yelled, thinking back to her dream. The girl in the room must have been Utau. "They're going to kill him anyway! We need to save him!" She yelled.

Utau shook her head. "No, Kazuomi said-"

"I know what Kazuomi said! If you don't do the job by tomorrow night then he's dead but you didn't hear what he said after you left!" Amu screamed desperately.

Utau put the knife to Amu's throat and stared into her eyes. "How would you know what he said after I left."

A single tear escaped Amu eyes as she squeezed them shut. "Utau please. If we don't go now, he's going to kill Ikuto."

Utau's eyes widened but the knife didn't move.

"I dreamt it. But my dreams, aren't just dreams. I saw that night. Ikuto getting hit, Kazuomi yelling at him, then you agreeing to do the job. When you left Kazuomi told Ikuto that it doesn't matter if you do the job or not, he's going to kill Ikuto anyway. Please Utau you have to believe me. You can kill me, I don't care. But Kazuomi's going to kill Ikuto if you don't stop and save him now."

Utau looked frantic. She probably didn't know what to believe. But Amu could tell that her words were having an impact.

Suddenly the cool touch of the knife on her neck was gone and she watched Utau throw the knife across the room.

"I can't risk Ikuto's life." Utau said slowly. She turned back to Amu though, with a menacing look. "But let me warn you. If this is some kind of trick to get away from this, then I _will_ hunt you down and kill you in a more slow and painful way then this knife would've done."

"Utau. I don't care what you do to me. If Ikuto doesn't live, you have permission to kill me in any way you want."

_At that point, it wouldn't be worth living anyway. _She thought to herself. She couldn't imagine if she was the cause of Ikuto's death. She'd rather be dead then know he was dead. She didn't know why she felt this way. She had always been more worried for herself then anyone else. It wasn't that she was selfish, it was just that she never wanted to die. She supposed that she loved Ikuto enough to die for him.

But why would he die for her? To get back at Kazuomi? Perhaps that was what that was all about. Maybe he hadn't been lying when he told Amu that he didn't have feelings for her. She had to chuckle though. He had told her to stop falling for him. Too bad it was too late.

_I realized why they call it _falling_ in love. _She thought to herself. _It hurts when you hit the ground._

Utau brought her out of her thoughts. "You need to change. We're not gonna be able to do anything with you looking like that." She said, pointing to Amu's wedding dress.

Amu nodded. "Should we go back to the castle? I'm sure I have something I could wear-"

"Are you an idiot?" Utau asked bluntly. "There are spies everywhere. If they see you and me anywhere near each other, we'll both be killed on the spot."

Amu nodded. "I understand."

"I have some clothes. Come on."

Amu followed Utau into her bedroom and was surprised to see two small shugo chara in there.

One was a small angel with blond hair while the other was a little devil girl with black hair. Complete opposites.

"WHO IS THIS UTAU-CHAN!" The angel one yelled. "A wedding dress! The dress of love!" She cooed and Amu gave her a funny look.

"Shut up El. Utau is suppose to kill this girl!" The devil girl screamed.

Amu gulped.

"Change of plans Il. I'm not killing her." Utau said from inside her closet.

Amu couldn't help but gape at the casualness of that statement.

"Oh, no fun!" Il said before giggling.

Utau came out of the closet and threw a piece of black cloth at Amu.

"There. Now let me find you some boots…"

Amu looked down at the dress. It was small and tight looking. "Utau, are we going to save Ikuto or going to the street corner?" She asked nervously.

Utau glared at her and took the dress back before returning to the closet. She came back out with gray pants and a black tunic that Amu found much more comfortable, even if she'd never worn clothes like that.

Utau gave her some black boots and Amu took her hair down. Since it had been up in an intricate bun, it was now wavier then usual but went to her shoulders like always.

"Okay, where are we going to find Ikuto?" Amu asked her.

"I have a plan." Utau said simply. "I'm going to make sure there are no spies outside first though. Stay here."

Amu sat back down in the sitting room as Utau went out the front door quietly.

Amu was a bit curious though. She stood up and looked around. She knew that Kazuomi lived in his kingdom and Souko had to stay there too. But did Utau live here by herself? Or with Ikuto…?

Amu walked towards Utau's bedroom and noticed other doors in the same hallway. One was a closet and one was a bathroom. But the last one, was another bedroom. The bed was made up as if no one ever slept in it and the window was wide open.

She noticed violin sheet music on the dresser in the room and a faint smile touched her lips. She looked to the other side of the bed and saw a violin case on the floor. She opened it up and looked at Ikuto's violin sadly. That was when she noticed there was an inscription carved into the wood. All it said was _Aruto_.

Amu gasped. To think this was the very violin Aruto died holding. How had Ikuto gotten it? Kazuomi? That seems like too nice a thing to do. She supposed someone found it and seeing the inscription, sent it back to his family. Ikuto must have taken it.

Amu sighed and closed the case. Poor Ikuto had been through so much in his life. No wonder he was always so unhappy. A smile was rare from him.

But when he did smile…

She stopped the thought and looked around some more.

That was when she noticed something on the nightstand that didn't look like it belonged to Ikuto.

Upon closer inspection, Amu saw that it was a light pink handkerchief. Amu picked it up and realized it belonged to her. It was from the night Amu found Ikuto. When she had wiped blood off of his face. The dried blood still on it proved that.

But when had he gotten it? She hadn't given it to him. Perhaps she had dropped it and he picked it up? And why was he holding onto it?

"Amu…? Amu?" Utau yelled more frantically with each 'Amu', from the other room. Amu put the handkerchief down. "I'm going to kill her!" Utau screamed.

"No, no, no! I'm still here! I didn't leave! I just…had to use the bathroom." She said smoothly running back into the room. She realized she was getting better at lying. She didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Utau relaxed. "Okay. Come on." She grabbed Amu and pulled her outside into the carriage she had come in. "Stay in here. That way no one can see you."

Utau went outside the carriage and took the reins. Amu could see Utau through a small screen though.

Amu felt a bit awkward as the ride began. She felt like she should start a conversation with Utau. Even though they had just met and Utau had already tried to kill her, Amu still felt she should be polite and the silence was killing her.

"So…you're a princess right?" Amu said slowly.

Utau's head wiped back quickly but she returned her eyes to the road just as fast.

"No. Not really. Kazuomi made his grandson the prince and next in line. So I'm not going to be queen." She explained slowly.

"Well even if you're not going to be queen, you're still a princess. You and me are kinda alike." Amu commented.

"You're nothing like me." Utau snapped. Amu recoiled.

"I was just saying since-"

"You're life has been nothing but perfect. Mine has been nothing but hell. We're nothing alike. Don't ever try to make the comparison." She said coldly. "Maybe my life was like yours before…" she trailed off.

"Before what?" Amu asked.

"Before my father abandoned us. Before my mother grew weak and betrayed us by marrying that man." Utau spat.

Amu's head shot up. "Utau, there's something you should know about that." Amu began. "Aruto didn't abandon you."

Utau snorted. "How do you know? No one knows! No one ever found him! Some people found a violin and that was it. That gave us so much comfort!" She said sarcastically.

"Utau. I know what happened to him. I was there."

"What? That's impossible!"

"No it's not. I was a little girl. Your father was killed. Killed by Kazuomi."

Amu could feel the carriage pull to the side of the road and Utau turned around, her face one of pure rage. "Kazuomi killed my father?" She said slowly. Amu nodded and Utau punched the wooden bench she was sitting on.

"Kazuomi is going to die." Utau said quietly, through clenched teeth.

**This is getting longer. XD Okay I'm gonna stop guessing how many more chapter's it's gonna be cause I always end up being wrong.**

**Utau: :D I like this chapter.**

**But you just got angry the whole time.**

**Utau: So.**

**Uhhh okay.**

**Ikuto: D: Where am I? That's two chapter's now without me.**

**But they talk about you constantly!**

**Ikuto: D: Don't care.**

***rolls eyes* Anyway, review please. Hopefully this fast updating thing will be a new trend. :D**


	11. Playing Dead

**So…my computer…broke. DX I was so upset! I lost all my files and I needed a whole new hard drive that I had to send the computer away for. It took so long and I feel so bad. . I was doing so good with updating too. o.o Then when I did get it back I started school again (which has been a mess of hard work since college application will start soon… OH GOD!) and I also have a job. D: AHHHH!**

**Ikuto: It's okay. We understand.**

…**You understand? What happened to the real Ikuto.**

**Ikuto: Nothing. I'm him…sooo I'm gonna be in this chapter right?**

***face palm* **

**Onto reviews!**

**Winter Knight: Thank you! Utau is a very angry person. xD**

**vampire-charmer-101: hello there snazzy Jessica. Aruto **_**is**_** quite the hotty… And I DON'T DESERVE THIS COOKIE! It's been like months. I think like 3 or 4 or maybe more! (that rhymes heh) Not good! I don't deserve it! Plus it's probably moldy by now… **

**MaddiLuvsYou: Ahh thank you! I hope you didn't forget about this story too much. D:**

**Lil' Phoenix: Your review made me really happy! I'm never good at pulling off smooth story lines (in my opinion anyway) and to hear you say I did it this time makes me so happy! Now if only I could get to reviewing more…**

**Mimpy: Thanks! :D**

**XxSingingAgonyxX: I do! I just wanna steal him and put him on a shelf in my room. O.O Anywho, yes your prediction was pretty good! I was very surprised when I saw it. XD Sorry about the wait again. T.T Yoru will be here soon! **

**rayrayy: That it does. That it does…**

**gkanimefan: Thank you so much! And I want to congratulate you on making the 50th**** review! Yaaaay! :DDD**

**Okay disclaimer time. :D Take it away Kukai!**

**Kukai: Me? Oh…uh, I don't even know what to say. I'm barley in this story and you picked me? Wow.**

**Utau: SHE DOESN'T OWN SHUGO CHARA! NOW JUST WRITE!**

**Kukai: D:**

**Uhhh sorry Kukai. Moving on!**

Different Worlds

Chapter 10: Playing Dead

The carriage slowed to a stop and Utau turned around to face Amu in the back.

"Okay, we're here. Here's the plan. Are you a good actor?" She asked suddenly.

Amu looked at her skeptically. "Depends on what I'll be doing."

"Don't worry. It'll be easy."

* * *

Ikuto slumped over in the chair he had been in for hours. It was dark in the small room but Ikuto knew there wasn't anything to see in the room anyway. It was completely empty besides himself and the chair he was in. He leaned back and closed his eyes in agony.

He'd never felt so utterly helpless and guilty before. If Amu died because of him, he'd thank Kazuomi himself for finishing him off and ending the agony. He had thought he could fix everything by leaving Amu but he had been wrong. And how painful it had been leaving her too.

He still couldn't get the image of her sobbing form out of his head. She had been frozen to the spot and had to just walk away.

He remembered clearly how when it had started to rain he had gone back to check on Amu and make sure she was okay. What he had seen was far from okay. He followed her as she walked home in the rain until she was in the gardens again, sobbing the whole way there. Then as she lay there on the ground sobbing he had to leave. He knew if he watched any longer he wouldn't be able to stay away. He had wanted to comfort her so badly. To tell her he had been lying. To tell her everything about why he had to leave.

But that was out of the question. Instead he came back empty handed and ended up here. He hoped she was okay. He knew at this point she and Tadase would be married. She'd get over him and be happy. She had to. As long as she stayed in the castle she'd be safe.

Just then the door opened and a stream of bright light flooded into the room. Ikuto squinted his eyes against the light and could make out a burly figure coming into the room.

"Get up. You're being moved." The figure said in a husky voice.

Ikuto stood and was led out into more light. He walked down the familiar halls of their headquarters, being pushed from behind by his new friend.

They reached a door and the man pulled it open to reveal Kazuomi and Utau. Kazuomi was at his desk and Utau was sitting in a chair against the wall, watching Ikuto with cold eyes.

Ikuto stumbled his way into the room and looked into Kazuomi's face. "What do you want from me now?"

Kazuomi smiled. "Actually I wanted to show you something." He said slowly.

He nodded to the other side of the room and Ikuto looked over there quickly. The blood drained from his face as he saw a sack with something large and unmoving inside it.

"W-what is that?"

Kazuomi smiled. "Why don't you look for yourself."

Ikuto's legs felt like lead and his heart was pounding in his ears. He walked over to the motionless sack and picked up the side that was tied closed, then quickly ripped off the knot and opened the sack.

Amu's body lay motionless inside.

Ikuto couldn't breath, couldn't think, couldn't even see for a moment. This couldn't be. _It couldn't be._

"No…" he whispered.

Kazuomi laughed from behind him. "See? You didn't have to be the hero. Once I wanted her dead her fate was sealed. Bring him back to his room. Oh and throw the corpse in there with him."

The burley man grabbed Ikuto and pushed him towards the door. He slung the bag over him shoulder and brought them back to the room Ikuto had been in originally. He threw the bag into the room after Ikuto and it made a loud thump as it hit the floor.

Ikuto crawled over to the sack as the door closed and dropped them into darkness. He pulled Amu's body out of the sack quickly and lay her down. He could feel a tear slide down his cheek but he wiped it away quickly.

He put one hand on her cheek and brushed away another tear with the other. He looked down at her still face. She didn't look very peaceful which saddened him.

Just then the door opened again but shut quickly. Ikuto looked up at the blond who had entered with rage.

"You murderer!" He shouted.

"Shhhh!" She lunged at him and covered his mouth.

"No! Why should I listen to anything you have to say? You killed her! You _killed_ her!" He wanted to strangle her and make her feel the same pain he was feeling, even though he knew it'd be impossible to physically harm someone that much.

"Shut up, you idiot! Amu it's okay, there aren't any camera's in this room. It's just pitch black and empty." She said quickly, before Ikuto could get another word in.

At those words Ikuto's head shot in Amu's direction. In disbelief he watched her eyes open as she sat up quickly.

Ikuto stared at her wide eyed but her expression was emotionless.

* * *

Amu couldn't believe how upset Ikuto had seemed. But she supposed he had felt responsible for her "death" and therefore was guilty. And just because he didn't love her didn't mean he necessarily wanted her dead. She had had her eyes closed and had no idea what his reaction had been besides silence and then screaming at Utau.

"You're…alive?" he asked slowly.

Amu nodded. "Yes. I wasn't really dead. That was our way of sneaking in here."

"Why would you sneak in here? Do you really want to be dead?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Well I couldn't let you get yourself killed."

Ikuto's eyes were searching her, but she remained emotionless. She wasn't going to let him think she was so helplessly in love with him that she had come to save him to get him to fall for her. She knew that when this was over she'd leave Ikuto and he'd be free to live whatever life he chose. She'd be happy just knowing he was alive and well.

"Amu…I-"

"Now's not the time for feelings." Utau snapped. Amu could tell she was still pissed about Ikuto's secretive nature and the unknown relationship between Amu and him.

"She's right." Amu agreed. "What's next in your plan?"

Utau looked thoughtful for a moment. "We need to sneak out of here. I know a route we can take without much trouble. If things go bad we'll have to separate though."

Amu nodded in agreement but Ikuto frowned. "If we separate, isn't that more dangerous?"

Utau shook her head. "Not if we get out quickly."

**I'm really tired so I think this must end even though it's kinda short. I need to get around to updating other fics of mine but hopefully now that I've written this I'll be out of my writing slump. :D **

**Ikuto: Lots of me. I approve of this chapter.**

**Of course you do…**


	12. To Take a Life

**I'm back again. I felt bad that my last chapter was so very short so I figured I'd make up for it.**

**Reviews!**

**Winter Knight: yeah sorry about the length. It was getting kinda late and I figured something was better then nothing. So yeah. But hope this makes up for it. :3**

**analiseCasdon: aw thanks so much! I'm really happy I inspired you to write! :D That makes me so happy. And of course I didn't forget. It was always in the back of my mind. And now here I am. :D**

**GakuenAliceGRL: xDDD It was probably something like this: o.O**

**gkanimefan: yep! Isn't that special? :D**

**mangagirl346: Okay!**

**gna: XD I really loved your reviews. All three. :P they made me so happy to hear you so anxious about the next chapter. Made me wanna write. So here I am!**

**vampire-charmer-101: Waaaaaaah! THANK YOU! I really love long rant like reviews like this! AND I LOVES COOKIES! So thanksies! :DD I'm so happy this story excites you so much. I love it. :DDDD**

**Slivernova34: Thanks! I'm so glad you like it so much!**

**All these reviews made me so happy. They were so…so….NICE! I LOVE YOU ALL! :DDDDD**

**Kairi: Elena doesn't own this fic…**

**Thanks Kairi. *sniffle* lets write for the reviewers now!**

Different Worlds

Chapter 11: To Take a Life

The trio snuck into the hall lead by Utau. Amu couldn't keep track of the amount of turns they were taking after awhile. The place was like a giant labyrinth.

"How much further?" She asked Utau.

"Not far. We just need to get to the first floor and-"

"Utau? What are you doing?"

They all turned around quickly to see a women with dark hair and glasses staring after them with wide eyes.

"Damn it." Utau cursed. She stopped running and turned to Ikuto and Amu quickly. "I have to stall her from calling the guards. Make a right, go down the steps and take the back exit. We'll meet at my house when we all get out. Now hurry!"

She ran in the other direction towards the women yelling "Wait! Sanjou!"

Amu didn't want to leave her but Ikuto grabbed her hand and pulled her in the other direction. "You heard her. We have to hurry!"

Amu frowned but nodded and kept going. They ran down the steps to the first floor and Ikuto led her through a few more hallways. Finally they could see the door out.

Just then a guard walking down the hall spotted them and he yelled behind him, "Ikuto and Amu have escaped!"

"Crap, he's alerting the other guards. They'll be here soon." Ikuto told her.

Amu looked behind her and suddenly she saw a bunch of men running after them.

"This is where we separate." She said suddenly.

"No. It's too dangerous." Ikuto argued.

Amu smiled and took her hand back from him. "Please get out safely. Goodbye."

And with that she ran down a different hall and didn't look back. Some of the guards followed her instead of Ikuto. She knew it was better if they split up and since she had come to save him, she wasn't about to stay with him to give him extra weight to carry around.

She couldn't really fight if push came to shove but one thing she could do was run. She was a pretty fast runner too. Her new clothes were proving to be very helpful as well. She was so used to big dresses that she felt so light without them. After a few quick turns she managed to find a door leading outside and took it.

Once outside she knew the guards were further away now but she hadn't lost them yet. She spotted a forest ahead of her and knew it was her best chance of escape. She cringed at the thought of having to go in there but there wasn't really any choice in the matter. She knew her chances of getting away any other way were slim.

She ran into the curtain of trees and realized it was much darker inside the woods. It was night now and there was no moon in the sky. She ran as quickly as possible being scratched by every branch and bush and tripping over more then a few roots.

After awhile she stopped and listened to her surroundings. Everything was quiet. She could hear small animals above and an owl hoot in the distance. She was panting heavily as she realized she'd never run so much in her life. She didn't think she was being followed anymore so she decided to slow down and try to find a way out of the woods.

She began walking at a normal pace and after awhile realized she wasn't getting anywhere.

"Great. Now I'm lost…" She was so frustrated she just wanted to sit down and give up. She had no idea if Utau or Ikuto were okay and now she was lost in the woods.

Just then she saw something little and blue in the distance. She squinted her eyes and realized it was a shugo chara.

"Yoru?" She said slowly. The floating figure in the distance didn't turn around. Amu ran towards it as quickly as she could. When she was close enough to the tiny shugo chara she shouted out his name again.

"Yoru!"

He finally turned around and Amu could see he looked horribly upset.

"I'm so sorry Amu." He said slowly.

Amu's eyes widened and she suddenly felt a hand grip her arm.

"I've finally got you, you little worm."

Amu turned around only to be confronted by Kazuomi himself.

Amu yanked at her arm trying to get free but Kazuomi was too strong. He quickly grabbed her other arm and put them both behind her back. He tied her hands together and she realized that this was the second time today that she found herself in this situation.

He smiled at her. "Finally. This isn't going to go like last time." He assured her.

Amu's eyes widened. That was one aspect she hadn't even thought about. If her dream was real, then how had she lived? In the dream Aruto was killed and then she woke up. But how had she been saved? What had happened after that?

"Wait. What happened last time? Why didn't you kill me after you killed Aruto?"

Kazuomi looked down at her and frowned, remembering that night. "I stabbed Aruto and when I was going towards you he jumped up and tackled me. Apparently I hadn't delivered a lethal blow and he wrestled me to the ground. I finally got the better of the fool and stabbed him a few more times to make sure he was dead. By the time I did that though, you had run off. I searched for you but you couldn't be found. Finally I heard you had gone back to your castle and no one even knew about what happened. I was told you wouldn't say anything about what happened and everyone just assumed you'd run off into the woods to play. This worked out well for me since no one could connect it to me. But still, thanks to Aruto I had to wait another twelve years just to get another chance at you. But now here we are and no one's here to stop me. But first I'll take you somewhere better."

He slapped a piece of tape on her mouth before dragging her through the woods for a long time. Amu's body was hitting every tree, branch, bush and root they walked by. She yelped in pain quietly with every blow until she just felt numb. As she watched the leaves and dirt go by she couldn't help but think of Ikuto. At least this time things had ended better and he was safe. Her last words to him had been goodbye. That was good enough she supposed.

Finally they had reached the end of the woods and Amu was now being dragged across a small field to an old building. She looked at the familiar building with relief. She knew it would all be over soon since this was the old building from her dream. Her head, and also her heart, would finally stop throbbing.

Kazuomi threw her to the ground of the old building and Amu watched him grab a knife with tear filled eyes. Her life had been good. She felt horrible for her parents and poor Tadase. And her best friend Rima. And she supposed her shugo chara would disappear once she was dead. She felt sorry for the sacrifice she was making but it couldn't be helped. She had to do this.

Just then the door burst open and Ikuto ran in. He picked up a large brick from the house and ran over to Kazuomi at fast as lightening. Before Amu knew it Kazuomi was laying on the floor unconscious and Ikuto was grabbing her and running out of the building.

As they ran into the woods he ripped the tape off her mouth and quickly untied the rope around her wrists.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Ikuto asked quickly.

"I'm fine. What are you doing here?" Amu asked him, they had stopped running now that they were further away from the old building and among the trees of the forest again.

"Well I got out of headquarters and went back to Utau's place, I figured that's where you'd be. Utau was there and she said you hadn't returned yet so I came to find you. Yoru found me and told me Kazuomi had forced him to lure you towards him."

That explained why Yoru had been in the forest. She held nothing against him. "Where's Yoru now?" She asked.

"I told him to go back to Utau's."

Amu looked at Ikuto's back and noticed he had his violin with him. "Why'd you bring that?"

Ikuto looked back at his violin and frowned. "I don't know. I was about to leave when something told me to bring it with me."

Amu looked at him with terror in her eyes as she realized her dream was coming all too true. "We need to leave."

Ikuto frowned. "Why? What's wrong? Listen, he's out cold and we're far enough away. I feel bad for not letting you hear me play the last time so how about I play something for you? Maybe that's why I was compelled to bring it." He took the violin off his back and placed the case on the ground before opening it and taking out the instrument.

Amu didn't want this to happen. It was just like her dreams. Her dreams had begun to change when Ikuto was around. She had been getting older and Aruto was looking more and more like Ikuto and now she understood. It was all happening again.

She wanted him to stop playing so they could get far away from there. She didn't want her dream to repeat itself. She didn't want this.

But Ikuto began gliding the bow across his violin and Amu couldn't think about anything else anymore. Every note struck her heart until she was in a trance listening to his sweet melody. It was quiet and full of emotion but it wasn't dark and sad like it had been.

She stood straight and watched him play in awe before slowly closing her eyes to listen.

But as quickly as the song had begun it had ended.

Ikuto grunted and the music stopped short. Amu opened her eyes quickly and saw a sight she would never forget. Ikuto was standing upright, still holding his violin in a playing position, but his eyes were wide and his stance not right. Behind Ikuto was Kazuomi smiling devilishly.

"NO!"

Kazuomi ripped the knife out of Ikuto and his body fell to the ground. Amu watched in terror as Kazuomi kicked Ikuto's body to the side. "Worthless musician just like your father."

He then turned his sights on Amu and began to laugh with a hint of hysteria. "You thought you could do it again did you? You thought you'd get away again? You thought you'd trick me again? Well here we are and it looks like I've won. With you dead all I need to do is steal little Ami and force your parents to give me your kingdom. They'll know my threats are serious once I've killed you. No one will doubt me anymore."

He walked towards her and Amu stood, frozen in fear. Ikuto couldn't be dead. But why wasn't he moving?

This time there was no one to save her. Ikuto and Aruto weren't about to jump out and save the day. She had to do something. She looked around her and the first thing that caught her eye was the violin case.

She grabbed it as quickly as she could and stood ready for his advance. He seemed to find her stance amusing and came at her quickly. She took a step back and swung the case with all her strength. It caught Kazuomi's side and he staggered a bit. Amu was impressed with herself. She went at him again and managed to get the case to connect with his chest which sent him to the ground. She stood over him and lifted the case high above her head, ready to bring it down with all she could.

But just as she did he grabbed the case and flung in away from them, which sent Amu toppling to the ground since she had been holding onto to case with all she could. Kazuomi got up and lunged at her. She held her hands out and grabbed his arm that was holding the already bloody knife above her chest. Though Kazuomi was much stronger then Amu she could feel the adrenaline coursing through her veins and was managing to keep the knife from penetrating her. Kazuomi seemed frustrated with her fighting back and made one final lunge at her.

Amu felt the blade go through her skin and the piercing pain it caused. Lucky for Amu, the knife had gone in deep but it hadn't been very accurate. Amu looked over at her left arm as the blood stained her sleeve. He had managed to impale Amu's upper arm. The knife stood upright and Kazuomi was empty handed.

Amu yelped in pain and kicked Kazuomi off of her. She rolled over in pain and grabbed the handle of the knife tightly. Kazuomi stood up and pulled another knife out of his pocket.

Amu knew this was it. She had no more strength to fight him off. She was happy enough to know she had got in a few good hits. She couldn't fight her death any longer. She hoped her family would be okay and they would be able to protect the kingdom from Kazuomi.

And hopefully, she'd see Ikuto in the afterlife.

He walked towards her slowly but just when she thought he was going to lunge something dark leaped up at him.

Amu's eyes widened when she realized Ikuto was clinging to his back. He wasn't dead and he had jumped on top of Kazuomi. The two went to the ground quickly and Amu watched in horror as Kazuomi wrested with the wounded Ikuto. She couldn't let Ikuto die the way his father had. She had to stop Kazuomi and now was her chance. She looked around for a weapon and a throbbing pain reminded her that she already had one.

Without a second thought she gripped the handle of the knife in her arm tightly and pulled with all her might. The pain of the blade being yanked out of her contracting muscles hurt more then the pain of the blade going in but that didn't stop her. She gripped the knife tightly, now covered in both Ikuto's and her own blood, and ran over to the two figures on the ground. Kazuomi was on top of Ikuto and just about to force the knife into him again.

Amu had only seconds the think and so by some impulse she stuck the knife hard into Kazuomi's back.

Kazuomi stopped moving and slowly slumped onto Ikuto as his knife rolled out of his hand. Ikuto crawled out from underneath Kazuomi's body and Amu stood frozen to the spot. She couldn't believe she had just killed someone.

"Amu. It's okay." Ikuto said quietly from her side. Amu looked over at him and saw how worried he looked. She looked down at her hands and saw they were covered in blood. Ikuto was holding his side tightly and leaning against a tree next to Amu.

She looked over at him and realized it was over. Kazuomi was dead. The knife sticking out of his back proved that. She had pierced his back and if not his back then his spine at least. There was no way he'd ever get up again.

She looked back at Ikuto, tears filling her eyes. It was over. He was free.

She leaped at Ikuto and hugged him as tightly as she could. She ignored the throbbing in her arm as the tears soaked her face.

"It's all over." She said quietly.

She could feel his arms wrap around her as he agreed.

"I know." He said looking up at the rising sun.

The forest was covered in dawn's first light as a new day began.

**OH MY GOSH! It's over. D: I figured I'd make up for the last chapter being so short with a super long finale! But don't worry. I fully intend on an epilogue. After all, there are still things to be resolved. :o**

**Amu, Utau, Ikuto: …like.**


	13. Epilogue

**Okay it's been a few months and it's about time I end this story. I can't believe it's the end already. Gahhh, I'm gonna miss it. Okay let's end this the right way.**

**But first, reviews!**

**Winter Knight: Thanks! And yes, it would appear the end is near. D:**

**Mimpy: Thanks! Hope the epilogue is just as good. :x**

**Foxgirl18: Thank you! :D**

**Vampire-charmer-101: Gahh! Thank you! I know, I don't want it to end either! And I hope you've never been in a situation like this in which you would know. D: But Ikuto's got a pretty high tolerance for pain. I'm glad I finished it too! And I hope you enjoy my other stuff! :D**

**AkixYuseiGRL: Yaaaay! :D**

**No Name!: Thanks! Final update!**

**AnimeBelle5: Thanks Jane! I love hearing stuff like that. I think I'll PM you right now. :)**

**G.n.a.-2010: Your welcome! I like answering reviews. I feel like it makes reviewers feel special. And since you guys are, I wantcha to know! And I loved the reviews! I probably wouldn't have minded all the reviews. To be honest it probably would've motivated me to finally write because I'm so god awful at updating. Buuuut anyways, thanks again! And here's all about Amu and Ikuto! :D**

**puresepe: Yes, Elena is my name and THANK YOU SO MUCH! Your review made me really happy! :D You know, I'm not a huge fan of fairytale stuff either but when I got this idea I knew it had to be the whole medieval thing. I'm glad you stuck with it though! :D Thanks again!**

**mystic554: I love cake! And sorry about the shortness. It's just that if I make it too long then I'll be adding things that don't need to be added and I'd just hate to do that. I wouldn't want to make it drag on or anything but I'm gonna try to make things longer from now on. :D**

**Yay! Reviews. Make. Me. So. Happy. Okay so this is it. The end… D:**

**Amu: Wow, can't believe it's ending. It's been fun.**

**Has it really?**

**Ikuto: Yeah Elena. I mean besides all the horrible crap you put us through, I guess it's been fun.**

**I'm gonna miss it. D: Someone do the disclaimer. T_T**

**Ikuto: Elena doesn't own shugo chara. **

Different Worlds

Epilogue

The early summer sun was shinning in the gardens and Amu lay basking in it. It was nice to be able to relax and take it easy for once. Things were going well in Amu's life, the only thing missing was Ikuto. She missed him so much.

Ikuto had gone back to his province after Kazuomi died because he was now the rightful ruler. Amu hadn't really gotten to talk to him about where they would go from here because he had left so quickly. She still wasn't sure of his feelings for her but she wasn't too worried about them. She felt like things were different now.

Most things had begun to go back to normal. Amu and Ikuto had stumbled back to the castle that morning and were quickly taken care of. Amu's shugo chara had been really worried about her and felt much better when they saw her. Everyone wanted to hear the story of what happened and Amu tried to tell everyone that way the story wouldn't get mixed up, although she'd already heard some interesting versions of what happened. One boy on the street claimed that Amu had stabbed her own arm to fake her death and get Kazuomi when he least expected it while another girl in town had sworn that she saw with her own eyes, Amu dragging Kazuomi's dead body through the streets.

Everyone important in Amu's life knew that truth though and that was what really mattered. She had told her parents everything. She had told them about Ikuto staying with her and how she hid him and how Kazuomi had stolen her once before and how he had planned to take the kingdom. They were astonished at what they heard.

"Hey Amu!"

Amu sat up and watched as Rima ran towards her. She was stumbling a bit since running wasn't really her thing but she finally made it to Amu with a smile on her face.

"Your parents want you in the throne room." she told her, a bit out of breath.

Amu cocked her head to the side. "The throne room?" She stood up and brushed off her dress. "Why?"

Rima smiled. "I don't know. You'll have to go find out for yourself."

Amu frowned since Rima definitely seemed to know something but she left for the throne room nonetheless, since clearly she wouldn't get anything out of her.

When she made it inside her parents were standing before the door with smiled on their faces.

"Oh, Amu, stand over here with us!" Her mother gestured towards them and Amu stood where she was told, hesitantly. The last time she had been in this position she had gotten engaged to Tadase.

The doors began to open as the visitors were announced.

"The Royal Tsukiyomi Family has arrived."

Amu's heart was in her throat as the doors opened fully to reveal Ikuto, Utau, and an older, beautiful blond women standing between them. They were all extremely well dressed, which was more then Utau and Ikuto usually were and they began to walk down the long carpet towards them.

But Amu lost all sense of control and care of formalities and ran towards Ikuto. When he saw her running he picked up his pace until finally they met in the middle and Amu jumped into his arms. He held her tightly and she could only smile. At that moment it didn't matter that she didn't know how he felt. It didn't matter that they were in a formal setting. It didn't matter that her parents, Utau, and Ikuto's mother were all in the room staring. All that mattered was that Ikuto was right here with her.

"I missed you." He whispered in her ear and she closed her eyes at the sound of his voice.

"I missed you more."

"Yeah probably." She smacked his arm and laughed. They finally pulled apart and Amu noticed that Utau and Ikuto's mother had finally walked up to them. Behind Amu, she knew her parents had come over to greet them as well.

She looked up at Ikuto's mother, blushing at her rudeness. "I-I'm sorry. I'm-"

"Amu." She finished for her, smiling warmly. "I know. I've heard all about you. Thank you for saving my son's life." Amu's eyes filled up with tears as Souko walked towards her and embraced her.

"I'd do it again." Amu whispered as she hugged her back. They let go of each other and she looked towards Utau. "I'm glad you're okay."

Utau smiled, which was an odd site for Amu. "Yeah, I'm glad you're okay too."

Ikuto held out his hand to Amu's parents in turn and after they both shook his hand and thanked them for Amu's life, a lot like Souko had done, they began to talk to Souko and Utau. Amu felt someone grab her hand and looked over at Ikuto standing next to her. "Come with me."

They walked outside and Ikuto didn't let go of her hand. Amu didn't blush like she had with Tadase though because she wasn't embarrassed. She felt like her hand belonged in Ikuto's.

He led her around the castle towards the back gate and into the gardens. Amu smiled as they walked to the middle of the gardens where they had been so many times before. They sat down on the bench and finally Ikuto looked ready to speak.

"Amu, I'm sorry."

Amu waited for him to go on but when he didn't she frowned. "For what?"

"For lying to you. For hurting you. For a lot of things." He looked over at her and she saw the regret in his eyes.

"Hey, it's okay. I know why you did it. I know you didn't mean to hurt me."

He shook his head. "What I said went to against everything though. You knew everything that night. You were right."

Amu looked down as tears clouded her vision. It was exactly what she had wanted to hear for so long. The tears ran down her face and Ikuto moved closer to her.

"The kiss meant everything to me and I was definitely falling for you."

She looked up at him and he looked at her with the same look he had given her in the fountain. Something close to adoration.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a light pink handkerchief to wipe her tears.

Amu smiled at him when the tears were gone and then found herself studying the handkerchief. It was the same one that had been in his room.

"That's mine." She said slowly, looking up at him, a gentle smile touching her lips.

He returned the smile and looked down at it. "I know."

"How'd you get it?" I asked him.

"I kind of took it."

Amu raised an eyebrow at him. "Why? You hadn't even known I was the princess then."

Ikuto looked over at another part of the garden, a guilty smile still on his face. "I couldn't understand why you helped me that night and I kind of liked you, even then. So I took it to remember you, since I didn't think I was going to see you again…" He explained.

Amu smiled brightly and put both her hands on his cheeks to turn his face towards hers. She pulled it closer to hers until finally their lips met and this time they kissed without boundaries. There was nothing to feel guilty about and there was nothing else to think about but Ikuto here with her. He loved her. He had always loved her.

They finally parted and Ikuto put his forehead against hers. "I'm in love with you." He whispered.

"Well if you haven't figured it out, I've been in love with you." She said lightly with a smile on her lips.

Ikuto pulled away from her, smiling brightly. "Well that's good, because that means you'll probably like this."

Ikuto reached back into his pocket and this time he pulled out a small box. Amu's eye's widened the same way Ikuto's smile did. He stood up slowly and then proceeded to kneel before her on one knee.

"Amu, will you marry me?" He opened the box and Amu could see the most beautiful ring inside. It was a white gold band with a square diamond in the middle shouldered by two smaller square sapphires.

Amu smiled widely and nodded. "Yes. Yes of course I'll marry you!" She yelled. He stood and for the second time that day she jumped into his arms.

She let go of him and he pulled the ring out of the box and slipped it on her finger.

"It's the ring my father gave my mother when they got engaged." He explained to her. She smiled, feeling proud to wear it.

"It matches both of your eyes." She told him gently. He smiled lightly and took her hand.

"Let's go tell everyone."

"They don't already know?" She asked.

"No, of course not. This was between you and me, not them."

Amu smiled and walked back to the castle with Ikuto, her new ring glimmering in the sunlight.

* * *

The next night, her parents threw another engagement ball. This was hard to explain to many of the guests since they had just attended one a few months earlier but eventually everyone understood.

Amu got ready slowly since this time she didn't have to rush. She wore a sapphire colored dress that matched her ring perfectly and her hair was put up into an elaborate bun, leaving her bangs down.

She walked towards the ballroom and Ikuto was waiting for her.

"You look beautiful." He said simply and she smiled.

"Thank you."

"Are you ready? We're suppose to be entering soon."

She nodded and followed him towards the entrance. She watched as her parents entered and then his mother and Utau entered.

"Our turn." She said slowly and they began to make their way down the stairs. Everyone was there again and this time she felt even better about her entrance. Last time her dream had been granted, she was entering with a charming prince at her side and she couldn't help but think how people would look at her. But now she only cared about the man on her arm and not what anyone else thought. It was a different sort of feeling because she was proud to be on Ikuto's arm.

When the party finally began she made her way over to Rima, Yaya, and Nagihiko.

"Hi Amu!" Yaya yelled and Rima and Nagihiko simply smiled in greeting.

Amu smiled at them and suddenly noticed Tadase standing behind them. "Tadase?"

He smiled sheepishly. "Congratulations."

She smiled weakly and she could feel Ikuto give her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Thank you."

"I really am happy for both of you. I know what you've been through." Amu nodded but she couldn't help but feel horribly guilty.

"Tadase-" She began.

"You don't have to say anything Amu. It's okay. I'm gonna go find my parents. I expect one dance tonight." He said with a smile. She nodded and he walked off.

"Hey Amu! Long time no see, huh?" Amu looked over at Kukai with a smile on her face.

"Very funny, Kukai." She said sarcastically.

Amu heard the music begin and Ikuto pulled on her hand. "Dance with me." She smiled and complied. This time she stayed with her friends and enjoyed the ball more than any other she had ever attended. She had Ikuto at her side and that made everything better. She didn't feel like she needed to get outside and breath fresh air. She felt fine just where she was.

But then she noticed Utau sneak out the back door alone and knew how Utau was feeling. The song ended and she looked towards Ikuto. "I'm gonna see if Utau's okay." Ikuto nodded and she walked towards the back doors.

She made it outside and found Utau sitting on a bench nearby. She made her way over to her and sat down.

"You okay?"

Utau sighed. "I know I must seem stupid. I know that my mother's safe and my province is in good hands now. I know we finally know what happened to our father and Ikuto is finally happy. I know you two are getting married and that's great but I can't help but wonder where that leaves me. I don't become queen. I'm not getting married. I'm not going anywhere. I used to have a purpose in life but now I don't know what to do with myself."

Amu frowned. She understood what Utau was saying even if she felt completely different. For Amu, her life finally had a purpose.

"You have to find a new purpose."

Utau looked over at her quickly and frowned deeper. "A new purpose…?" She said, deep in thought.

Suddenly the ballroom doors opened and someone came outside. Amu looked over to find Kukai standing before them. "Hey Amu! It was getting hot in there so I thought I'd get some air…" He trailed off when he noticed Utau sitting beside Amu.

Amu smiled. "Kukai, this is Utau, Ikuto's sister. And Utau, this is Kukai, a friend of Tadase's."

"Hi…" Kukai said slowly, gazing at Utau.

"Hello." she said just as slowly.

Amu stood up and walked towards the door. "Well I'll just leave you two then." And with that she swept into the ballroom and walked right into Ikuto.

"Hey, how's Utau?" He asked her.

Amu smiled brightly. "I think she'll be just fine."

"I was just thinking, let's go to our part of the garden." Amu smiled, knowing exactly what he meant.

"Sure." They walked back outside and Amu noticed that Utau and Kukai were no longer on the bench nearby. They walked deeper into the garden until they made it to the fountain and sat down on the bench.

Amu smiled up at him as he took her hand in his. "You know, I used to think that we were from two completely different worlds." She told him and he smiled.

"I think we still are." Ikuto told her. "But that doesn't mean we can't make our own new world."

She smiled. "I guess your right." Her thoughts shifted to something different just then. "You know, I had a dream last night."

"About what?" Ikuto asked a bit anxiously.

Amu smiled. "Our wedding."

He smiled at her. "Was it nice?"

"It was perfect."

She looked up at the full moon in the sky and smiled. Life was going to change for the better and no matter what she did or where she was, she would always have Ikuto by her side. She was going to marry him and become his queen. They would have plenty of children and a life that neither of them thought would be possible.

She smiled up at the moon in bliss thinking about how this was the beginning of the rest of her life.

And she couldn't wait.

**T_T It's over. I'm so sad.**

**Amu: Very nice.**

**Ikuto: I agree. Good ending.**

**Utau: It was okay.**

**Well thanks guys but I'm depressed now. Review please as I go cry myself to sleep. But I am happy with how this went. Hope you liked that little Kutau moment I slipped in there. Sorry if you're not fan though. Oh and I just want you to know that you guys were the most awesome reviewers and sorry updates took so long. Hope you all enjoyed this and until next time! :D**

**GOODBYE! D:**


End file.
